December 5, 2005
By Chris Herlinger

NEAR BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – In battered Aceh coastal areas like Meue village, where fish and melons were once harvested in abundance, the sounds of hammers now punctuate the air.

A harbinger of hope, perhaps: as houses go up, fear is eased some; a quiet sense of optimism – once almost unimaginable 11 months ago – is no longer in such short supply.

But as Aceh prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami, optimism is still something hard-earned, as Nurdin, a spokesman for the village of Meue, told a group of visitors recently. "We've faced the last year with patience and a determination to move forward," he said. "Working has helped with the sorrows we've faced." Meue, a three hour's drive south from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, was spared the large loss of life common in other villages and in Banda Aceh itself, where an estimated 90,000 persons – about 1 in 4 – perished.

But the disaster took a toll on the village's economic life: its fishing fleet was destroyed; most of its houses flooded or destroyed, and nearly all of its livestock lost.

In working in a partnership with Church World Service, the village has begun to regain some semblance of stability: CWS assistance has helped the village replenish its fishing fleet – 15 boats in all – and 91 houses have been built in the last year.

Economic uncertainty is far from resolved – though the new boats have at least given the community a chance to renew its fishing base. That's yielded a foundation so that members of Meue can begin to move forward a bit.

"There's been no other place to go," said village chief Abu Bakar Mahmud, 50, as he and his wife, Nazariah, 35, worked on preparing fish netting. "But we're strong, resilient people."

That fact has been recognized in the village's partnership with CWS: Those assisting in CWS rebuilding efforts are from either the affected communities or from nearby communities and not outside contractors, said Indra Rerungan, a CWS technical officer who is helping coordinate housing efforts in Meue.

With the sounds of pounding hammers nearby, Syaraini, 31, a mother of three children – baby Noval, Sarah, 4, and Reza, 2 – said that preparing to move into her house is but one example of a community whose worries and fears have "calmed" a bit, saying housing reconstruction has made "everyone feel more secure, so they can focus on earning an income."

Her hopes for the future? "All I want," she said "is for my children to be useful and resourceful for themselves."

A year later, that is the singular hope throughout Aceh.

Church World Service