Volunteer 'Mother' helps Acehnese in Bandung

Volunteer 'Mother' helps Acehnese in Bandung

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Djusmindar, 46, has chosen not to return to her home in Buah
Batu, Bandung, since the deadly tsunamis swept through Nanggroe
Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra on Dec. 26.

Instead, the Acehnese mother of two is staying at the Acehnese
Students Command Post on Jl. Cicendo 9, Bandung, where she is
"Mother" to Acehnese students who have worked hard to collect aid
for tsunami victims.

"I haven't done much. My main job has only been to help feed
the students," said Djusmindar, who was cooking on Tuesday in the
command post's kitchen when The Jakarta Post arrived.

Djusmindar, who is called Bunda, or mother, by those at the
center, cooks for the dozens of students and volunteers who are
organizing aid to be distributed to tsunami victims in Aceh.

She also helps oversee the receipt and distribution of aid,
sorting and mending secondhand clothes.

"When I heard about the deadly tsunami that killed many
people, I was shocked. Worse, my husband was visiting my mother
in Banda Aceh at that time."

Djusmindar, who migrated to Bandung 28 years ago, heard the
news at a reunion in Jakarta. Her husband, Rusdimar, is also
Acehnese.

The tsunami had cut off all communication between Aceh and the
outside world, which made her frantic with worry.

"I had no idea whether they were still alive. I really wanted
to go to Banda Aceh to see what was happening," she said.

Djusmindar's parents live in Blang Bintang, Aceh Besar
regency, which is next to Banda Aceh, but eight to 10 kilometers
from the coast, and was thus quite safe from the tsunami.

While waiting for information on her husband and parents,
Djusmindar and decided to join the command post and help fellow
Acehnese in their time of need.

After making up her mind, she spoke to her daughters Deswita
Nurmala and Nurmillah Khaira, who are both college students, and
told them that she would dedicate all her time at the command
post.

"On the first day, I spread the word that we had opened a
command post," she said. The post opened on Monday, the day after
the disaster.

Food, money and clothes began flowing into the post on
Wednesday, but the volunteers found it very difficult to send the
donations to Aceh.

Although they contacted government and military authorities,
but no vehicles or aircraft was available to transport the aid.

"Our families and fellow Acehnese could not wait. The tsunami
took everything from them, they were hungry, injured and needed
to receive aid as soon as possible," she said.

A businessman in Bandung came to their assistance, providing a
trailer truck to transport the aid to Aceh. In addition, some 50
volunteer Acehnese students decided to accompany the aid.

It seemed luck had turned for the group, particularly when
Djusmindar received a call from her husband a few days after the
disaster.

Rusdimar told her not to worry and to stay in Bandung, and
that he would return when the situation in Aceh had returned to
normal.

"He said, 'Just do your best to help fellow Acehnese from
Bandung. There's no need to come here'," she said.

Two weeks after the tsunami, the command post has sent
hundreds of kilograms of clothes, food and medicines, as well as
Rp 300 million (US$33,333) in cash to Aceh.

"I am moved by the generosity of Bandung residents in helping
the tsunami victims. I thought they had forgotten us (Acehnese).
But now, I realize they still care," she said, her eyes filling
with tears.