Hope and Rebuilding in Aleu Deah Teungoh

Posted: 23 February 2006

ALEU DEAH TEUNGOH, BANDA ACEH – In a village which used to be home to 2,150 residents and now just 362 remain, one new homeowner, 23 year-old Sri Adrimi, is optimistic. She’s relieved that she and her husband, Habilullah, 35, and their 2 1/2 year-old son Muhammad Abrar, have a home to call their own, after living in a displacement camp for nearly 10 months after the tsunami ripped through Banda Aceh on December 26, 2004.

Life in a tent at the camp was difficult, and at times scary, mostly because of the lack of protection it offered during rainy season. "The strong winds scared us," Adrimi recalls, speaking through a translator. "We were afraid of another tsunami."

On Dec. 26, 2004, Adrimi, who had a cake baking business before the tsunami struck, was on her way to work with her husband, carrying one of her freshly baked cakes. When she and Habilullah saw the rising waves, they sped away on their scooter until fuel ran out. A passing driver saw them and gave them a ride away from the storm. Although Adrimi no longer works as a baker, Habilullah has found work as a becak (motorbike rickshaw) driver moving building materials; prior to the storm he worked as a carpenter.

Oxfam will build a total of 81 houses in Aleu Deah Teungoh, 56 of which have been finished (the remaining 25 are 80% complete). The homes in Aleu Deah Teungoh are part of a 217-home building project in three villages in Meuraxa, a district of Banda Aceh.

Adrimi lost her two sisters and both her parents to the tsunami, discovering they were gone after looking in several displacement camps for two months. She found her 17-year old brother Muhammed Idwar, after four days of searching for him. Adrimi and her husband have also adopted a neighbor’s teenage son, Nazur Fadli, whose entire family was killed by the tsunami. When asked in December 2005 to reflect upon the previous year, Adrimi responds, "Of course there have been many changes," she says, "but I hope next year will be better."

In addition to building 217 houses in Meruaxa, Oxfam has provided an extensive program to help fisherman, fish vendors, food shops, and small trading companies rebuild their livelihoods.