Peace, Homes for Acehnese
After 30 years of fighting, Aceh is making
major leaps towards peace. On July 17th, the Indonesian government
and Acehnese rebel forces reached a peace deal in Helsinki,
Finland. The turning point after generations of fighting came
from the South Asia tsunami disaster, which claimed over 150,000
lives in Aceh. Also grateful for the peace deal are local
Tzu Chi volunteers, who have been helping people in Aceh since
the start of the tsunami disaster. Tzu Chi is building 3,700
permanent homes at three locations in Aceh.
Heavy toll in 30-year civil war
In Helsinki, Finland, five months of negotiations
finally produced a peace agreement between the Indonesian
government and rebels in Aceh. The deal struck on July 17th
between the Indonesian government and representatives of the
Free Aceh Movement, known as GAM, may usher an end to the
civil war that lasted for 30 years in Aceh.
Aceh is located on the northern tip of
Indonesia's Sumatra Island. It has a population of about 4
million people and is rich with natural gas and oil, making
it the province with the most natural resources. The Free
Aceh Movement, officially formed in 1976, has long sought
independence from Indonesia. While Islam is the predominant
religion in Aceh, as in Indonesia, the roots of the separatist
movement are historical and cultural rather than religious.
In the 30 years of civil war with the Indonesian government,
more than 15 thousand lives were lost, most were civilians.
Several attempts at peace occurred during the 3 decades. However,
they all broke down eventually.
3,700 Homes for tsunami victims
After
the tsunami's devastation, it didn't take long at all for
Tzu Chi volunteers to arrive with aid and care. From relief
distributions to free clinics and now reconstruction of their
homes, Tzu Chi volunteers were always by their side. With
the peace agreement, Tzu Chi's commitment to the tsunami victims
can be carried out with more security and expediency for the
benefit of the tsunami survivors.
On behalf of Tzu Chi Foundation, members
of Tzu Chi's Indonesian chapter traveled to Banda Aceh. There
they signed a memorandum of agreement with the local government.
With it, the government will provide land
and Tzu Chi will provide the assistance to build 3 Great Love
Villages, permanent homes for tsunami victims.
The Tzu Chi Great Love Villages will be
located in three areas: Aceh Besar, Banda Aceh and Aceh Barat.
The three planned communities of 3,700 permanent homes will
include schools, free clinic centers as well as religious
prayer halls. The Great Love Villages will be constructed
one after another, starting in August and expected to be completed
in one year.
Religious tolerance
Although Tzu Chi is a Buddhist Foundation,
they often work closely with groups and organizations of different
religions. One recent project Tzu Chi completed was the construction
of a new wing at an Islamic boarding school. The successful
relationship between these two groups has benefited thousands
of students and is a shining example of different religions
working together for the benefit of society.
A warm welcome greeted nearly 100 Tzu Chi
volunteers at the Nurul Iman Boarding School.
They were guests of honor at the school's new wing opening
ceremony. Two years ago, there were 3000 students in the school.
Today, there are over 7,000. There wasn't enough space to
accommodate the large increase of students. So in 2004, Tzu
Chi volunteers decided to build a new wing for the school.
That was less than a year ago and the wing is now open.
The Islamic boarding school is located
in the city of Parung, Bogor, about a 1.5 hour drive from
Jakarta. It was founded by a local Muslim spiritual elder,
Habib el Saggaf. He vowed to provide a religious education
that was free of intolerance. He took in abandoned and homeless
students and ran the school completely on donations. Nearly
a third of the students are orphans and the rest come from
poor families across Indonesia. Education is free here and
the school also provides them free board and lodging. Practical
courses in agriculture and economics make up half of their
curriculum while the other half focuses on Islamic law and
doctrines as well as the teachings of Islam.
As much as the school was doing, they were
scraping by when Tzu Chi volunteers encountered them. In 2003,
Tzu Chi Volunteers began to visit the school. The school lacked
food and medical service so Tzu Chi made an agreement with
the school in October 2003. Tzu Chi Foundation would provide
50 tons of rice to the school every month and hold a free
clinic every six months. The children could finally have a
source to cure their skin diseases, check their teeth, and
receive glasses. A strong relationship continued ever since.
In June 2004, Tzu Chi volunteers brought
a gift to the school. It was a blueprint of a 2-story building,
containing 24 classrooms and 40 bathrooms. They were plans
for the new wing to expand the boarding school. Tzu Chi volunteers
and Habib el Saggaf presented the plans together to the student
body. Over 3,000 children cheered their approval. Within two
months, in August of 2004, construction began. Less than one
year later, the wing was completed.
During the opening ceremony, Habib el Saggaf
announced that Jing Si Aphorisms, the teachings of Master
Cheng Yen, would be incorporated in the school's curriculum.
Although the aphorisms are rooted in Buddhism, Habib el Saggaf
explained that ethics and morals advocated in the teachings
are shared by the teachings of Islam. Through tolerance and
charity, people of two different religions succeeded in benefiting
thousands of children by working together.
Edited from Da Ai (Great Love) News,
a broadcast program of Tzu Chi's television station. For more
information on Tzu Chi's Da Ai TV, please visit http://www.newdaai.tv.
