The Story of a Wood Porter in a Displacement Tent During Ramadan: Less Joyful Than Last Year
Ramadan this year is different from previous years. Flood survivors in Aceh Tamiang have been forced to remain in displacement tents with limited facilities. One such person is Samiran (50 years old), a wood porter from Bukit Batu Village, Samiran.
“This Ramadan I am still in displacement. I am grateful to still have my health. Although truthfully, this Ramadan is not as joyful as previous years,” he said when met by the Dompet Dhuafa team at his displacement tent some time ago.
Samiran has been living in a displacement tent with his two children in Melati Hamlet, Benua Raja Village, Rantau District, for more than three months following a flash flood that devastated his home on 25 November 2025.
The flash flood destroyed his house, leaving only uninhabitable rubble. Since then, he has been forced to survive in the tent, even through this Ramadan period.
Samiran said there are many moments in this Ramadan that cannot be relived. He misses gathering with family to break fast. Now that is not happening.
The flash flood has changed everything, making each person preoccupied with their own difficulties.
“In previous Ramadans, sometimes family would come from everywhere. Even if just for one day. We would gather and visit each other. But now everyone faces the same fate. This flood has affected almost all of Aceh Tamiang. All areas were hit. Everyone has been struck by this disaster,” Samiran said.
There are about seven tents near Samiran’s tent. Their homes were destroyed by the flood and there is no certainty about temporary housing. During Ramadan, amid unpredictable weather, they face heat and rain inside small tents.
“It is not as comfortable as at home. Although our house is not fancy, it is comfortable. Everything is complete. When it rains heavily, we get cold. When it is hot, there is a lot of dust. At night there are many mosquitoes. Sleep is not comfortable,” Samiran said.
“The rainy season is difficult. The dry season is also difficult. How can one describe it. When I reflect, tears fall because I am sad. But perhaps it is already His will. As a Muslim, we can only be pious,” he added.
Becoming a wood porter is something new for him since the flash flood in November. Previously, Samiran supported his two children working as a farm labourer in coffee plantations in Takengon.
That day, Samiran only worked half a day. At his age, carrying wood while fasting is not easy work. His daily wages go to his daughter Satika to buy food ingredients.
Inside the tent, Satika cooks water, rice, and side dishes for the breaking-of-fast meal.
Currently, Samiran is waiting for work calls at rubber plantations to carry wood. From his wages, he ensures the kitchen in the tent keeps operating. With the meagre wages, he said, he cannot set anything aside for savings.
He can only afford basic daily sustenance for his family in this Ramadan for breaking fast and dawn meals.