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| The SOS Children's Village in Meulaboh was officially inaugurated last June - Photo: SOS Archives |
Titled "A better life in the Meulaboh Children's Village" the newsletter describes the atmosphere and the life in the village: "This family based care allows the children to live as a family, in an environment where they will be secure, supported, and loved."
Two years ago SOS Children's Villages had already earned rave reviews in a research project commissioned by the UN, which closely examined the reconstruction work of various relief organisations in Indonesia. AUSAID, the relief programme of the Australian government also came to the conclusion that SOS Children's Villages carried out its projects and programmes in Banda Aceh in a particularly basis-oriented way, i.e. in direct cooperation with the communities and the people affected.
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| New houses for families in Suak Raya - Photo: SOS Archives |
SOS Children's Villages took immediate action after the tsunami on 26 December 2004 in Aceh, the region that was most seriously affected. One part of the long-term support was the construction of three SOS Children's Villages - in the capital Banda Aceh, in Meulaboh and in Medan. In addition, numerous other projects were implemented for the benefit of those affected; for instance, 521 family houses, several multipurpose buildings and kindergartens were built.
"After the tsunami we had no medical care in our village. Even minor illnesses had to be treated in the city. When the clinic was finally opened last year, we were really relieved", says Bushtani, a tsunami survivor from the village Suak Raya. Here SOS Children's Villages has built a medical centre which was handed over to the community in August this year - a project that is having a great impact.
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| These two children have found a new home in Meulaboh together with 100 other children - Photo: S. Posingis |
The province of Aceh in the north of Sumatra showed the highest death toll and the most severe devastations caused by the tsunami. The entire 200 km long coastal strip between Banda Aceh and Meulaboh was devastated. In some villages up to 70% of the population died, with the entire death toll in Aceh amounting to more than 128,000 and at least 37,000 people missed. An estimated 44% of the population in this region lost all their belongings in the tidal waves, and agriculture and the fishing industry have been seriously affected.
*The UN Office of the Recovery Coordinator in Aceh and Nias (UNORC) was set up after the tsunami disaster and the severe earthquake in Nias.