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| Putri with her mother - Photo: S. Posingis |
House number 8 in Gampong Cot in West Aceh is one of the 130 houses that SOS Children's Villages built in the village. It is home to Saljani and her daughter Putri, who is a healthy, pretty girl.
Putri's full name is "Putri Tsunami Irayana", which means "Daughter of the Tsunami". She was born on 26 December 2004 on the roof of the mosque, the only building in Gampong Cot that remained standing in the swirling waves. 300 people took refuge on the roof of the mosque, but Putri's two sisters were not so lucky. After Putri was born, her father Adnan placed her in a reed basket that fishermen normally use to transport their catch. He and his wife then waded through the water for seven whole hours to reach a clinic where they both received care. Adnan died later as a result of his injuries.
Putri Tsunami Irayana embodies both the joy of new life and the pain of the past. House number 8 with its blue roof is also a place where people laugh.
"Udep tanyau nyoe meusti ta peujak laju" - "life must go on", say the people of West Aceh.