Aceh after 1 3/4 years

i went to aceh recently, as part of a community relationship program my company is part of. from klia to medan and then to banda aceh. our first stop at banda aceh was the famous masjid baitul ar-rahman for friday prayers. cant really describe the feeling to be able to perform solat in such a blessed building, so im sharing with you the photo of the mosque at sunset.


the boy in the colorado tshirt is anbal. he lost his family during the tsunami and now residing at pondok pesantren modern babun najah in banda aceh. the content of the locker was all his worldly possession. reflecting on what my children have, not even a tenth of theirs would fit in that locker. anbal was friendly and thats how we managed to visit his room at the pesantren's hostel. it was small and cramped, minimum facilities and definitely lacking in comfort and luxury.


this is one of many children at pesantren kayee kunyit. some were just babies when they lost their family during the tsunami. our visit brought joy to their faces as visitors are not common. this boy caught my attention as eventhough he was young and small, he was quite independant.


we sponsored a number of children at pondok pesantren modern babun najah. the program was about adopting one child by the staff (or a group of staff) by paying for their living cost for 3 years. the payment was made upfront. these children were waiting to find out who their ibu/bapa asuh, grateful that for the next three years they'd have food to eat and school supplies available. they weren't asking much, but a chance to be a better person.


that's the first time this child had meat in almost 2 yeas. their daily food was rice and banana stew for breakfast, lunch and dinner. on a rare occasions they'll get to have fish. there are thousands of children made homeless by the tsunami. they live in poor orphanages, sleeping on floors or thin mattresses. a 12 x 14 room sleeps 6 to eight people plus their belongings.


itaqosari, 6 years old, very shy, daughter to ustaz marwan the pimpinan for pondok pesantren kayee kunyit. it took a lot patience and perserverance to get this photo. many failed miserably in their attempts. hahaha... aint she sweet?


mailizar, nursing student at universitas syiah banda aceh in traditional aceh bride wear.


fera, another nursing student in traditional aceh bride wear.


took this photo from the airplane. the coast of aceh changed when it was hit by tsunami. almost 2 years later, the coast line has not changed and so was the lives of acehnese. there have been a few demonstrations since i was in banda aceh. many have yet to receive the promised assistance for relocation and rehabilitation from their government.

someone remarked, why did we go so far when there are still many very poor orphanages and pondoks here in malaysia. i dont have an answer to that really. we do sponsor hundreds every year local orphans and schools. at the same time we also try to reach out where ever our operations is present. some of the pondoks in locally do get support from the local mosques and organisations. but in aceh, there are thousands of orphans and without community support as all are poor. they dont even get to have fish at meal.

be that as it may, i think we just have to do our part. we reach where ever and whenever we can regardless whether here or there. its easier to debate who we should help first than to actually lend out the helping hand.

aceh, i hope you shall recover.