Forgotten Victims of the Tsunami
Nias at home
Nias, an island off the northern coast of Sumatra with a population of 600,000, was one of the areas devastated by the Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004. The earthquake (point 8 magnitude on the Richter Scale) that hit the Island in March 2005 wrought further havoc.
Because Nias is isolated, press reports were much less comprehensive than those from Aceh. The Island is a Christian enclave in a predominantly Muslim country, not noted for tolerance towards Christians. The discrimination felt by the people of Nias is added to by the fact that they have received very little from the millions of dollars in aid provided by donor countries.
Anxious to help?
We have had contact with Nias over many years through the Catholic Church?s national commissions. Thanks to these contacts, we already had three cadets from Nias in our Maritime Academy in Cilacap at the time of the tsunami. Naturally, we were anxious to help in whatever ways we could. One Oblate parish in Jakarta sent a team of doctors and other helpers under the leadership of Fr Basir Karimanto OMI. They provided emergency assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
Our contacts on Nias inquired if it would be possible for us to offer scholarships for more of their young people to study at the Maritime Academy. Few could afford tertiary education, now that a tsunami and earthquakes had destroyed their homes and livelihoods. Misereor, the German Catholic Charity that is our main sponsor, was very positive about the idea of scholarships and agreed to help. No definite figures were mentioned, however. We passed on this information to our contacts in Nias and, within two weeks, we had applications from over 300 young people. Clearly, the possibility of scholarships was giving some hope to a traumatised people. Our mission was to turn this hope into reality.
Misereor was busy answering the immediate needs of tsunami and quake victims, so the answer to our emails was ?be patient?. We in turn had to counsel patience to our contacts in Nias who were inundated with questions about the selection process and the details of when successful candidates would leave for Cilacap.
Plans take shape
I again contacted Misereor, only to discover that a crucial email had not arrived. A copy was faxed, which stated that the agency would almost certainly fund the total scholarship costs for 60 students. However, the project proposal would first have to be written up and sent for assessment by their board of directors.
By this stage our contacts in Nias were in panic. I took the decision to advise them to select and send 20 prospective cadets, and I forwarded the funds to cover this part of the process. Scholarships would have to cover all their needs for a three-year course. I then prepared and submitted the proposal to Misereor.
The first 20 students, 13 boys and 7 girls, arrived just in time to meet two representatives from Misereor who had come unexpectedly, but were most welcome in the circumstances. There followed an interesting meeting of staff, Nias students and Misereor representatives, where they learned first-hand of the situation in Nias.
After the meeting, they invited all of us to a meal of barbecued fish, rice and coconut milk on the beach in Cilacap. They were able to speak to the students individually, and they promised to help get our proposal accepted.
One of our contacts in Nias, who was in Java on diocesan business, spent three days with us and returned to Nias to organise another group of 30 students. Three of the girls were so upset at not being selected for cadet training that they phoned me?the 30 became 33! We sent the funds to cover travel and food.
The student body at our Marine Academy now includes 53 students from Nias in first year and 3 in second year. We are also in contact with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Aceh and have offered them ten places. Due to the short notice, they have been unable to send students this year.
We will continue to seek sponsors this coming year, so that more hopeful candidates can fulfill their dreams. The students have been writing about their experiences as their island home was torn apart by the tsunami and the series of earthquakes. Support groups have been set up to talk about what has happened and encourage the healing process. During the year, we will be offering further therapeutic programmes to aid their recovery.
Nias students