UPC seeks soft loans for Kapuk Muara fire victims
UPC seeks soft loans for Kapuk Muara fire victims
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) chairwoman Wardah Hafidz pushed the
city administration on Wednesday to channel soft loans to
hundreds of homeless families whose houses in Kapuk Muara, North
Jakarta, were burned down in a fire on Sunday.
"The city should give the residents the loans to enable them
to rebuild their houses as soon as possible.
"Last year, UPC channeled loans for hundreds of fire victims
in Muara Baru, North Jakarta," she told The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday. "We did that because we saw the victims were still
homeless months after the fire."
She said that UPC assisted in organizing the residents to pay
back the loans, collecting as much money as they could spare each
day. "So far there's no bad debt. The loans are almost fully paid
now."
The fire, which gutted about 250 houses in the neighborhood,
started early on Sunday morning. No casualties were reported, but
the residents -- who are mostly small-scale vendors -- also lost
their stock and equipment in the fire.
Lack of money and resources to build new houses are the major
problems faced by the fire victims.
Some victims have rented rooms close to the scene of the fire
for about Rp 150,000 to Rp 200,000 a month; some are staying at
relatives houses; others sleep in the mosque or outside,
protected from the elements by makeshift tents.
"I would certainly need three to five months to collect enough
money to build a semi-permanent house," said Alfian, one of the
fire victims.
A 24-square meter semi-permanent house, the residents said,
would cost Rp 4 million (US$470).
For the moment, the residents have enough food and clothes as
both the Indonesian Red Cross and the North Jakarta Social Agency
have handed them donations.
North Jakarta Social Agency official, Benny Martha, told the
Post a public kitchen will be established, although it will only
operate for four days.
"According to the city bylaw, we have to immediately
distribute relief packages, operate a public kitchen and erect
temporary shelters," he said.