wfn.org | CRWRC - Tsunami survivors celebrate restoration in Banda Aceh

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beth DeGraff, CRWRC-US media contact, 616-648-7821 or 1-800-55-CRWRC
Grace Wiebe, CRWRC tsunami project manager, 1-800-730-3490

Tsunami survivors celebrate restoration in Banda Aceh

June 24, 2009 ? Four years ago, as semi-conscious Ihya Muhammad
Isnaeil swam through a moving mountain of water to a nearby rooftop,
he thought he was still holding his infant son in his arms and the
hand of his pregnant wife, Nova, in his own. As Isnaeil clung to the
crumbling roof tiles during the second and third tsunami waves, he
reached desperately for the hands of a screaming neighbor and his son.
Only then did he realize that his own family had already been swept
out to sea. Isnaeil quietly shakes his head as he reflects.

Last Saturday, Isnaeil remembered his loss and began to celebrate with
his whole community as he prepares to move into a sturdy new home
built in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, by the Christian Reformed World Relief
Committee (www.crwrc.org). Isnaeil is one of thousands of survivors
who have benefited since December 26, 2004, from $18 million in
donated and government funds received by CRWRC for tsunami response.

Saturday?s event was held at Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh with
presentations from local and federal representatives. Those attending
the celebration received additional awards and prizes that were part
of a week-long series of events including a contest for ?best
decorated home,? traditional dances, and other activities.

?Through CRWRC?s exemplary programming, the people of Aceh have risen
from their sorrow,? said Irwandi Yusuf, Aceh?s governor. ?CRWRC?s
positive approach motivates people and communities to be actively
involved in all stages of recovery.? The governor added that the whole
Acehanese system would ?use CRWRC?s participatory approach to
community-building as a model to expand on in the future.?

Since December 2004, CRWRC has provided tsunami survivors in Aceh with:
Temporary shelter for 642 households
Emergency kits for 5,300 people
Medical camps to treat 6,500 people
Income assistance to 17,500 people
Artesian wells in 15 villages
Electrical power to 4,400 people in 18 villages
School access for 2,300 children
Textbooks and typewriters to schools in four villages
1,139 earthquake-resistant permanent homes

David Fournier, the First Secretary of Development at the Canadian
Embassy in Jakarta said in an email on Monday (6/22/09) that CRWRC and
its collaborators ?have been a valued partner among the housing
partners of the Canadian International Development Agency (in
Indonesia). I?ve been impressed with the speed and efficiency with
which (permanent) houses were constructed and with the strong
community involvement? that the programs engendered. In them the lives
of thousands of survivors like Ihya Muhammad Isnaeil have been changed.

Isnaeil will be one of the final recipients of a house through CRWRC?s
tsunami recovery program. While the widower had been able to save to
purchase a small piece of land in Aceh, until January of this year, he
held little hope for saving enough money to build a new home. Then six
months ago, with the encouragement of a village leader who knew
CRWRC?s work in Aceh, Isnaeil applied and qualified for assistance
based on his low-paying civil service job. The transformation Isnaeil
has experienced through CRWRC will last a lifetime.

CRWRC director Ida Mutoigo captures the spirit of Isnaeil and his
neighbors this way: ?The bright sun beams on new homes and green
shrubs, and rice fields are bursting with healthy crops, and the
sparkling water teems with fish. Seeing newly married and expectant
couples and hearing the laughter of young children playing testifies
to a power of life that is greater than death. God?s presence is
profoundly evident in the greatest tragedy ? His grace and love have
overpowered the tsunami.?

Grace Wiebe, international disaster response tsunami project manager
for CRWRC, is available for interviews by the media by calling
1-800-730-3490. For further information, call Beth DeGraff, media
contact at 1-800-55-CRWRC or cell, 616-648-7821.

To learn more about CRWRC?s tsunami response efforts in Indonesia and
beyond, go to www.crwrc.org.

CRWRC is a non-profit agency of the Christian Reformed Church in North  America

ministering to people in need around the world with relief,
development, and justice.

> -- Beth DeGraff
> CRWRC Media and Justice Contact
> 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue SE
> Grand Rapids, MI 49560-0600
> 1-800-55-CRWRC
> www.crwrc.org

Note that my email address has changed to bdegraff@crwrc.org.

CRWRC is a registered non-profit agency of the CRC-NA in both the U.S.
and Canada.