Great Love in Indonesia
Lamseupeung, INDONESIA - The Tzu Chi foundation
has decided to build the second Tzu Chi Great Love Estate
in Aceh at Lamseupeung, Indonesia. The location will be closer
to the state capital, Banda Aceh, than the Great Love Estate
at Neuheun.
The thirteen acre property is situated
on plains, which will make it easier to construct than the
Estate at Neuheun, which is situated on hills. The property
is also surrounded by the Kreung Aceh Lake, making the area
pretty in flora. The surrounding area has spawned the possibility
of building a residential park there.
The Tzu Chi Great Love Estate in Lamseupeung
plans to house seven hundred families that were displaced
by the 2004 Southeast Asia Tsunami. To expedite their recovery
process, Tzu Chi also plans to build schools, free clinic
centers, Muslim mosques, and other public facilities in Aceh.
As Tzu Chi helps the disaster victims by
building new homes, other international relief organizations
are helping the victims in their unique ways.
International Red Cross has been keeping
a detailed record of the survivors, the deceased, and the
missing from the Tsunami. The record of 19,000 survivors and
26,000 missing is open to public and also shown in newspapers.
This allows friends and relatives to track down the unknown
fate of their loved ones. The success rate of finding the
missing through the International Red Cross is eighty percent.
Many families were united again thanks to the efforts of the
International Red Cross.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is
providing free oral medication in Janto, a village near Aceh.
Together with Tzu Chi volunteers, the WHO is helping local
children and adults who have weak immune systems. Six year
old Julia was there to get vaccinated. Her mother and two
of her brothers died in the disaster, and she now resides
with her grandmother. At such a young age, the disaster has
forced her to learn life lessons of independence.
Besides medical aid through providing vaccinations,
Tzu Chi volunteers also provide nourishment. Eggs and milk
are placed directly into the hands of local tsunami survivors.
It is important that survivors stay healthy so that they have
the strength to continue rebuilding their lives. However,
it is the support of these international organizations and
the blessings of all worldwide that contributes to the equally
important emotional and spiritual strength of the survivors.
