Dateline ACT

Indonesia 1605

Song and dance and healing in Meulaboh, Indonesia

By Lisa Bonds, ACT International

Meulaboh, Indonesia, November 9, 2005—The girls giggle and pretend to cover their eyes as a staff member from Yaysan Tanggul Bencana (YTB), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, boots up her laptop computer to show them photographs of their latest dance performance. Some girls say that they couldn’t bear to see themselves dancing, even as they move closer to the computer to take a peek.

Nine months ago, these same girls had little to dance, sing or laugh about as they struggled to make sense of their lives after the tsunami. The small city of Meulaboh suffered a great deal from the tsunami and, along with their houses, these girls lost their school and many family members.

One of the girls, Nemi Nasita, a 13-year-old with incredible poise and a huge smile, described how she came to know YTB-ACT. "As soon as it seemed safe our families wanted to move back to our neighborhood," she said. "Even though our houses were gone, we built shelters or put up tents on the foundations where our houses once stood." She continued, "We were glad to be back in our neighborhood, but, we had nothing – no water, no school, no food. We were very thirsty and we saw YTB people handing out water at a relief center. At first, we were too scared to go there and ask for water, but, after a little while, we decided that we had to be brave. We walked to the center and asked for water."

YTB staff gave the girls water and talked with them about where they were living and what their lives were like after the tsunami. Although they were initially hesitant, the girls opened up to the staff and told them their stories. When the YTB staff asked the girls what they wanted and needed the most, they told them that they wanted to get back to school and they needed something to do with their free time.

The staff worked with the girls and their families to re-open their school and to start a children’s support center. The children’s support center opened three months before the school did, so the girls spent a lot of time there. A member of the community came forward and offered to teach the young girls traditional Acehnese dancing and singing. Now, even though their school has re-opened, the girls have continued their training in Acehnese dancing and singing and are hired to perform at community events.

On the day a delegation from Lutheran World Relief, a US-based member of ACT International, visited the support center, the girls were there, practicing the dances and songs they would perform at celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The girls performed a number of incredibly intricate dances for the group. Nemi proudly told the LWR visitors that their dancing group had been paid 600,000 Indonesian rupiahs (about $60 US) for performing at community functions and that the girls had decided to put that money into a savings account.

The YTB staff and the girls’ dance teacher said that before they started the dance classes, the girls had lost their sense of joy and fun. The dance classes have offered the girls an opportunity to talk about their experiences, their fears and their futures in a setting that is safe and warm. By learning the dances, the girls have gained pride in their culture while also becoming an important part of the preservation of Acehnese culture. One of the dance teachers said, "These girls and their families were traumatized by the tsunami. When we started the classes, it was common for many of the girls to withdraw and sit in a corner crying. Now, they are stronger and have begun to heal some of their wounds."

When asked what she wanted to do when she graduated from school, Nemi pointed to one of her dance teachers and said, "I want to become a volunteer with YTB and I want to become a dance teacher too so that other girls like me will have the opportunity to learn these dances. I hope that I can be an important part of preserving my Acehnese history and culture."

Lisa Bonds is vice president of external relations for Lutheran World Relief, a member of ACT-International.

YTB's humanitarian response in Indonesia to the aftermath of the tsunami is supported by ACT International through its members around the world.