Boat boost for tsunami orphans
| Tsunami orphans from the Indonesian island of Pulo Aceh can look forward to a brighter future thanks to a boat donated by the British Red Cross.
The boat, which is being managed by a cooperative of villagers from four tsunami-affected islands, should help provide for the orphans’ education long after international aid programmes have been wound up. | | |  | |
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More than 50 children from the villages of Gugop, Seurapong, Ulee Paya and Teunom were orphaned when the tsunami hit in December 2004, taking with it all but one house, more than a third of the residents and the boats needed for many livelihoods.
As the Red Cross has been working in the islands since April 2005, the four villages asked for a collective boat to transport people and materials between the four.
The co-operative set up to manage the boat then decided to split profits between running costs, maintenance and an orphans’ fund in the hope of attracting children and teachers back to the island.
“We will give the money to the orphans so they can pay for their schooling and buy the books and uniforms they need,” explains Sofyan Abdullah, the elected representative from the South Beras area of Pulo Aceh.
“We have already used the boat a lot, but won’t be able to make the first donation until January 2007.”
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 | | | To bridge gaps like these, the Red Cross is now investigating the support structures available to the orphans who are registered on its livelihoods programme. | |
| Bill Marsden, senior technical advisor to the Indonesia livelihoods programme, described this as a good start.
“We ask the child and the people around them what they would like,” he said. “If we believe the child is in a supportive environment, we can provide the resources so that they can go through school for the next three years. If the family support is not sufficient, we turn to other specialised agencies to intervene.”
Bill stressed that this system is designed to support the Acehnese system of extended family and religious schools caring for orphans, and not undermine it.
“Funds are transferred using bank accounts established under our livelihoods programme,” he explained. “We offer additional assistance to elder children who have had to care for younger siblings.
Orphan-headed households can also access the standard recovery package of a livelihoods grant and replacement house on reaching the age of 17.”
At the end of 2005 more than 4,500 households had enrolled in the British Red Cross’ Indonesian livelihoods recovery programme, and more than 2,000 families will also receive replacement houses.
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