Aceh-Part 2

Our time in Aceh was full, which is why I decided to spare you from reading it all in one post. As we approached the building that houses several Wellspring projects, I was excited at the prospect of all I'd find. We first walked into our computer lab. We currently have 150 students enrolled in our computer course, each working on a computer purchased by Wellspring. With a curriculum from a Jakarta based university, each student is part of a three month course under the direction of a certified trainer. Their final exam is sent to Jakarta for grading, and the certificate of completion is stamped with the university seal. Most of the students are female, and this course will greatly assist them in obtaining suitable jobs.

We next walked into our beauty training salon, the first of its kind in Aceh. Fifteen girls very attentively applied makeup to their models as part of their three hour day. In three months, they will have completed hair and beauty training, be employed in the salon for an internship, and then be qualified for an outside position.

We then walked upstairs to the counseling center, where four counselors we have hired and trained are currently seeing 60 regular clients. Talking over orange juice and wonderful Acehnese fried peanuts, we spent some time talking with these therapists and learning of their experiences and challenges. What we heard is particularly interesting. In America, one can openly comment about visiting a therapist, and in fact, if you don't have one, you're in the minority. But in Acehnese culture, therapy and counseling, discussing fears and talking about grief, are entirely new ideas. And so initially, the people were skeptical. They were not sure they wanted to open up, or even how to do so. Today however, the counselors say the people can't wait to come again and have grown so appreciative of what they can share in confidence. The counselors' greatest problem now is turning down numerous marriage proposals from people just so thrilled to find someone who will listen to them!

After eating lunch at the two-week old Pizza Hut, we continued onto our final project, which is underway in two locations. We visited both villages and our tailoring projects at each site, where a total of 45 women are learning to make clothing. This group is still early in their learning, and they proudly showed us clothes they had made for themselves as part of their training. Some even modeled them for us, and laughed wholeheartedly when they tried them on. They were a very lively group of women of all ages. Currently, there is one salesman for both locations, who zips around on his motorbike with bundles of colorful clothes to sell.

It is with both a little sadness and much satisfaction that we anticipate turning all of our Acehnese projects over to local leadership in September. The first time I came to Aceh, we spent quite a bit of time at a refugee camp near the water. Once a village of 1500, only 300 people remained. Just hours before we had arrived, insurgents had attacked the camp and stolen medicines and clothing. A large mosque was an identifying landmark; one whole side of it had been destroyed by the water, and it was somehow barely supported by broken pillars. I asked to visit this same location, as its memory has stayed so vividly in my mind.

The mosque is now fully repaired, and only the bent star on the very top of the dome reminds you of the powerful wave that once swept over it. There is no longer a refugee camp, and brilliant green vegetation is all around. But what surprised me most was the color of the water. Before, it had been almost black in color. And now, I suppose as sediment has settled, it has returned to what was its natural color—a gorgeous shade of electric green. With the pure white sand as a contrast, it is a picture so striking, you don't even want to blink. As I stood in the middle of the street in front of the mosque, two boys flew toward me on their bicycles. They were racing, and just laughing and riding with abandon with their hair blowing in the wind. And I thought it was a really beautiful picture. Sometimes when you are immersed in something, you fail to see the sign of healing and growth, as they tend to come in baby steps easily missed. But as an outsider with a periodic view, it was incredible to see the signs of restoration. We can never replace what was lost, and the lives will never be forgotten, but you see one foot moving forward and new life on the horizon.

Aceh, Part 1

On the day we were to leave for Aceh, I was scheduled to be picked up at 4:30 in morning. I even surprised myself to be waiting outside a whole 5 minutes early. This is one of the benefits of international travel; before my body adjusts to a new time zone, I'm early to everything for about two days. I had just arrived in Jakarta the day before—after over 30 hours of travel—so I was tired, but the anticipation of the trip and the flipped body clock had me ready to go. I met Veronica, the director of YCAB, at the airport and we boarded our flight to Banda Aceh, in what was our third trip to one of the locations most severely damaged by the tsunami.

We landed almost two hours later, and were met by Steven, the YCAB representative who left his home in Jakarta to move to Aceh and be our on-the-ground project manager. I asked him how he had been doing since I saw him last year, and he very honestly answered with a smile and shake of his head, "Today? Not so good!" Steven has been the crucial element to any success for these projects. While for us the sacrifice of being away from home and unfamiliar culture are temporary, he has willingly made it his home.

To provide a bit of history, last year YCAB established these projects in Aceh along with several approved NGO's joining together for a UN emergency relief plan. Wellspring underwrote the approved YCAB projects under this UN umbrella. As the UN only stays in regions for a set amount of time, they pulled out a few months ago, in keeping with their deadline. YCAB and Wellspring decided to stay longer, in an effort to provide ongoing support and enable us to slowly pass the baton to local managers. Our hope is that the projects we have started will now continue, but in the hands of those to whom they truly belong.

On my first visit to Aceh, which was six weeks after the tsunami, all I could see was sand, and I thought the terrain was desert-like. At this time, bodies were still being recovered, and a painful silence hung in the air, the sound of intense despair. On my return trip one year later, I was shocked by all the sprouting vegetation and signs of new life. And now, another year later, it was an island. Full of coconut trees and flowers and shrubs, it was beautiful and I would never have guessed it to be the same place. We drove through the country side, passing rice fields and semi-permanent housing provided by the government. There are also permanent brand new homes that are being built in the villages where some of our projects exist. Aren't they cute?

We stopped to peek into a primary school that is funded by UNICEF. These cute, tiny little children sat in desks bigger than they were, reading numbers from a chalk board. Their big brown eyes stared at us cautiously, but shy smiles quickly followed. We spent a few minutes talking with those operating the small school, and introduced ourselves. Wishing them every success, we continued on our way. As we pulled up to a small building, a big smile broke out on my face as I was met with a red sign outside that said "Wellspring International." It never ceases to affect me when I see this name, representing so many of you around the world, a mark of your presence somewhere far away.

Check back in with me tomorrow when I post the remainder of our time in Aceh.