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United In Diversity
Bank Ganesha
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For US or Canada donors on tax-deductible contributions, please email:
Gina Darmawan
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Ya’ahowu (Hello) from Nias!
Just when the world seemed to have forgotten about the Asian tsunami, an 8.7 magnitude earthquake hit Nias and Simeulue, two small islands off Aceh, Indonesia, on 28 March.
Thus far, the death toll caused by this quake is about 600, but the Indonesian government estimates that the total figure could reach 2,000.
The death toll in Nias could have been higher, had it not been for the lesson the Niasmese have learned from similar events in the past, that is: When one feels the earth move under one’s feet, seek high grounds before tsunamis come and wipe out everything.
It was this lesson that saved many lives in Nias, compared with such other places as Aceh, which was hit the hardest by the tsunami on Boxing Day last year.
The recent quake in Nias has left many people homeless, while others are still missing, however.
As it had done shortly after the Asian tsunami took place last December, the United in Diversity Forum (UID), which has been coordinating relief and reconstruction works for Nias, sent volunteers, food, water, medical supplies and logistical aid to victims of the earthquake of 28 March right after it happened.
Since last December, UID has collaborated with its key partner For a Drug Free Indonesia (YCAB) to provide relief and reconstruction services to the people of Nias. Together, the two partners have launched a project under the name Delasiga Cinta Anak Bangsa (DCAB).
Made possible with the generosity of Monaco Asia Society, this project has been initiated by His Royal Highness Prince Albert.
The project has been designed not only to relieve victims and their families in Nias of immediate losses and pains caused by the Asian tsunami and earthquakes, but also to help them recover from these tragedies and—most importantly—rebuild their lives, homes and communities.
To that end, we have thus far started building (or rebuilding) with the people of Nias and local partners, namely, Zero-to-One Foundation, 239 houses, a school, a clinic, a church and mosque in Sirombu District, Nias. And we are planning to provide scholarships, teacher-training, vocational schooling, and counseling services, among others, to them at the same time.
Needless to say, the works that we have done together so far only amount to little, given the overwhelming needs of victims and their loved ones in Nias, Aceh, and other parts of the world that have been traumatized by the Asian tsunami and earthquakes.
If anything, the 28 March earthquake in Nias reminds us that the threat of earthquakes and tsunamis in Asia is still there—if not greater than before. And the battle that Indonesia’s tsunami and earthquake victims have been fighting since last December is not over; in fact, they have just only begun.
Now, more than ever before, we Indonesians from business, government and civil society should come together and, with assistance from friends in the international community, help our brothers and sisters in Aceh and Nias to rebuild their lives. In doing so, we all will come out of these tragic times much stronger, better and more united.
The United in Diversity Forum stands ready to help make it happen!
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Overview
FACTS on NIAS Earthquake
Our deepest gratitude and appreciation to the generous donors
UID - MAS - DCAB Goodwill-signing Luncheon with H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco
Map of Epicentrum
Disaster Photo Gallery
Nias Re-building Project Photo Gallery
Donation
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