ACT Dateline

Indonesia 03/07

Indonesia: Yogyakarta earthquake, one year later
“Wisdom from the earthquake”

By Dita Kecil, ACT International


Mrs. Saliyem tends her catfish ponds outside her home in Sidomulyo, Indonesia. Photo by YEU-ACT International.

Sidomulyo, Indonesia. July 23, 2007. Mrs. Saliyem empties a handful of fish food into a pond outside her home, feeding the hundreds of baby catfish that are the source of her future income.

The routine of feeding the fish is unchanging. What has changed is the fact that Mrs. Saliyem can no longer walk, after she sustained severe injuries during the earthquake that struck Yogyakarta on May 27, 2006. For twelve months, she has been working hard to restore her life and her livelihood with the assistance of ACT member, Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU).

When the earthquake struck, Mrs. Saliyem’s house collapsed, trapping her underneath the rubble. Her immediate injuries were treated in a public hospital, but nothing could be done for the paralysis of her lower body. Her spine was broken and her spirit almost was as well.

For the first three months after the earthquake, Mrs. Saliyem never came out of her bedroom. She left her destroyed house in the Ngireng-ireng hamlet in the village of Sidomulyo to stay with her mother. During the time at her mother’s house she had no wheelchair and she spent day after day lying in bed unable to accept her new condition.

When the YEU team came through the Mrs. Saliyem’s village, they found her in a deep state of trauma and distress. She eventually accepted a visit from the YEU mobile clinic and physiotherapy team. YEU medical workers began providing care and therapy for her paralysis and invited her to the YAKKUM Rehabilitation Center.

In the week immediately following the earthquake, YEU treated close to 3,200 patients through their mobile clinics. They continued their work in the region through funding from an ACT appeal and provided care to more than 10,000 people.

After spending time at the YAKKUM Rehabilitation Center and learning how to adjust to a new life without walking, Mrs. Saliyem went back to her old house and used it as a temporary shelter. She received a wheelchair and with the help of her new mobility, she also started to attend weekly meetings with other people who were treated through the YEU mobile clinic programs.

Through these weekly meetings, Mrs. Saliyem slowly began to regain her life and her spirit. The meetings gave her a reason to leave the house and an opportunity to connect with people who were struggling with similar challenges following the earthquake. They shared their experiences, gave each other support and began to realize that they were not alone.

Their gathering became stronger as the weeks passed and the progress of one group member became the motivation for others. They also gave their group a name, Hikmah Gempa, which translated means, “wisdom from the earthquake.”

YEU also began to offer livelihood assistance to the group through a microfinance program to help with income generating activities. The Hikmah Gempa members were very enthusiastic about the possibilities and began to dream what kind of businesses they could develop.

Mrs. Saliyem immediately made up her mind, she wanted to restart her life and provide for her family as she once did, as a catfish farmer. Her business plan was approved by the YEU microfinance program and she received the funds to begin her work. She built two fish ponds and bought the necessary catfish eggs. As she began her new endeavor she enlisted the support of her husband and she also was able to hire two neighbors to assist her.

YEU also assisted the Saliyem family by rehabilitating their house to accommodate a wheelchair. Ramps were also built on the front of the house so that Mrs. Saliyem could come and go as she pleased to check on her catfish.

By the end of July, Mrs. Saliyem will have harvested two ponds with hundreds of big adult catfish. She also has been doing physical therapy. With significant effort she is able to stand up and she says, “I still want to be able to walk... I believe that I could walk again someday.”

A year after the earthquake, with the assistance of YEU, Mrs. Saliyem has a decent home and is able to provide for her family through her own business. Despite her disability, she has now found a much stronger ability within herself to persevere in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. She has found a wisdom from the earthquake.

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Dita Kecil is a staff member of ACT member, YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU).

Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.