RAMADAN AID TO ACEH TSUNAMI VICTIMS

Background Information: Ramadan, (Eid-Ul Fitr) and its following Holy Days are one of the most important days in Aceh as it is the rest of Indonesia where the families and the community  gathers, in order to fulfill their common religious obligations which strengthens their communal and family relationships. The Ramadan Month and the following Holy Days of Idul Fitri –in Indonesian- had an additional and special importance in 2005, since it was the first Idul Fitri for the people of Aceh whom have lost their family members, their houses and their business during the tsunami disaster lived on 26 December 2004 and were in the effort of recovering their future lives.

Project Summary: Those whom were living in tents and temporary shelters and those whom have left their villages and went to cities with the hope of finding jobs returned to their villages in order to be with their families during this period as a due to this tradition. These big family gatherings, apart from causing tragically and traumatically lived moments with the remembrance of the lost family members also meant strong steps taken to normalization and recovery. Within this period, although being a week officially but normally extending to two weeks, International Blue Crescent implemented food and sacrificial animal distribution to the villages and clothings and toys for the orphans.

Project Goal: The project aimed at contributing to the rebuilding of social cohesion and to the recovery process in Aceh after the devastating tsunami.

Project Beneficiaries: 500 families living in villages of Mukhan, Alue Mie, Kuala, M.Rayeuk, and M.Tengough directly benefited from the project.

Implemented Activities: In accordance with the requests of the Villagers the food packages consisted of material enabling them to bake sweet biscuits and other sweets as a tradition of the Holy Days, instead of standard food packages for minimum needs. Each package contained 3 kg sugar, 4 kg wheat flour, 2 kg rice flour, 360 gr corn flour, 1 kg starch, 1 kg sugar powder, 150 gr corn cracker, 12 packs of jelly,1 kg margarine and 2 kg of palm oil. On the other hand, being within the tradition, the first morning of the Idul Fitri 8 buffalos were sacrificed and distributed to the villages. Clothing and toys were distributed to the 24 orphans of the villages.