Five years ago this Saturday, a massive underwater earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a tsunami that destroyed thousands of villages and killed more than 230,000 people in 11 countries.
In Indonesia, a woman named Maryana was swept away by a giant wave into the forest, where she was able to grab onto a tree and hold on until the water subsided.
“I thought it was the end of the world,” she said. “It was like a bad dream. Everything was gone.”
Upon hearing the news of the tsunami, LDS Church members from around the globe jumped into action to care for the immediate needs of survivors—Saints in Hong Kong assembled hygiene kits, members from Thailand helped survivors record memories of lost loved ones, and cash donations poured in through fast offerings and the LDS Church’s humanitarian fund to help families rebuild. But the LDS Church’s relief efforts reached far beyond those first devastating weeks and months.
After providing the necessities of life, Latter-day Saint Charities (LDSC)—an arm of Church Humanitarian Services—spent three and a half years working on long-term projects that would help restore the livelihood of the survivors and rebuild communities. Today, Maryana and her husband live in a new home built by LDSC.
“We are very grateful for this nice, new home,” she said. “Thank you for saving our lives.”
“After the initial emergency response, our focus was to get people back to work and restore their livelihoods,” said Brett Bass, director of Church Humanitarian Services.
According to Bass, fishermen were given materials to build desperately needed boats to replace those lost in the tsunami. Nets, motors, and other fishing supplies were also provided by LDSC. Rice paddies, which provide a significant source of income, were also reconstructed. And the Church organized the digging of wells, installation of storage tanks, and improvement of delivery systems for 25 villages.
“The people are doing their best to get back on their feet and are working hard to reclaim something of the life they had before,” said Ron Taylor, manager of communications for LDS Philanthropies. “But it’s a long way back, and they have little or no resources to work with. Homes, schools, clean water and medical facilities were primary needs, and LDSC has been a major player in providing these where the need was greatest.”
In the village of Calang, on the island of Sumatra (where roughly 80 percent of the population was killed), LDSC built a new community center. Mohamed Johan, a community and religious leader, said the people “feel happy and blessed to have the community center. It is a place we can pray. It is a place where we can teach the children. It is very useful and will help keep the community together.”
In Banda Aceh, just two of 20 local schoolteachers survived the tsunami. Before LDSC built a new school there, students were using a temporary structure.
Kamaruzzam, the headmaster of the newly built school, said, “The building is very useful for everyone. The students now have a better school. They now have a more hopeful future.”
LDSC worked with many partners in their relief efforts, including Islamic Relief. Abdelgadir Galal Ahmed, the program manager for the organization, said LDSC has “stayed involved from the beginning to the end to ensure their money is used wisely, as it was intended.”
He continued, “I believe there is good value in our relationship, and it is a great benefit to the people who have been affected by the tsunami . . . . Together we have been very helpful to the people here.”
In addition to building 15 schools, 3 community centers, and 3 health clinics, LDSC built 902 homes, approximately 400 square feet each (the size of an average two-car garage). Painted with bright colors, the houses included tile floors, as well as “starter kits” with a mattress, one-burner cooker, pots, pans, silverware, glasses and plates.
“The houses are the thing that probably touches your heart the most,” said Sister Karen Greding, who was called with her husband, Jim, to serve as short-term specialists in Sumatra to oversee some of the rebuilding. “The first thing [people] said was that they knew our house was strong, that it wouldn’t fall down in an earthquake—that it would not only be for them, but for their children and their grandchildren because they knew it would still be standing way down the line.”
Ron Taylor said that while he was in Indonesia, the outpouring of gratitude was overwhelming.
“As Elder Greding and I walked through the town center in Bireuen, where the people bring their vegetables, fruits and other commodities to sell, we were greeted by people calling out, ‘Thanks mister!’” Taylor said. “They knew the only reason we were there was to help in some way. Even though they didn’t know whom we represented, they wanted to express their appreciation. It was a very moving experience.”
“You can read about [the conditions], or you can hear about it, but unless you’re there and actually see it with your eyes and feel it with your heart, it’s impossible to be as touched as we have been touched as we’ve been associated with this project,” said Elder Greding. “It brings tears to your eyes to think about not only what they’ve lost, but the hope that we have given them, through a new home and ownership, whether it be a home, a school, or a fishing boat, you cannot replace their families which were lost. We can’t replace that, but what we can replace are some of the material things that they’ve lost and allow them to start over with their lives.”
The LDS Church’s major reconstruction efforts in Indonesia ended in December 2007. But according to Brett Bass, the Church continues to bring the major humanitarian initiative programs there, including donating wheelchairs, teaching neonatal resuscitation, and overseeing projects to bring clean water to more villages.
“They’re a very resilient people,” he said. “They’ve come a long ways in the last five years.”
Jamie Lawson – LDS Living
LDS Living, 2009.
