CARE in vulnerable communities

"There was no tsunami here, Alhumdullilah (thanks be to God)," said Ibu Rahmani, referring to the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 132,000 people in Aceh. "But we suffered in other ways."

For 30 years, Ibu Rahmani and her neighbours watched as their community was torn apart by the fighting between the military and local rebels, who were fighting for greater autonomy for Aceh. Villagers were beaten or killed, houses burned to the ground, and crops withered and died in untended fields.

Unable to feed her family, Ibu Rahmani had to send one of her children away to live with friends.

By the time both sides signed a peace agreement in August, 2005, an estimated 10,000 people had died in the conflict. The full impact of the conflict, however, was soon frighteningly clear: after 30 years of turmoil and not working the land, Ibu Rahmani’s family was left with nothing.

"Our land was overgrown, wild. We didn’t have the money to replant our fields," said Pak Rusli, Ibu Rahmani’s husband. "We worked as casual labourers to earn small money to buy seedlings. But we couldn’t do much. We have no savings."

As Aceh steadily rebuilds and moves forward after 2004’s deadly tsunami, CARE is also working with other vulnerable communities in the area who were previously cut off from assistance: poor and conflict-affected families.

"The tsunami was devastating, but the conflict caused equal harm to the people of Aceh," said Chris Prior, coordinator of CARE’s Economic Development Project. "In Jantho, you have tsunami survivors moving into communities full of conflict survivors. They were equally affected. They also need help rebuilding their lives."

CARE Economic Development Project is providing skills training and small cash grants to nearly 5,000 people in Aceh to help them rebuild their businesses or start money-making initiatives. CARE staff work with participants to create a business plan, then provide advice and support to ensure the plan is working and people are able to use the money to provide for themselves and their families. Each family receives a grant of approximately 7,000,000IDR (740USD or 500EUR) .

In Jantho, 25 per cent of the project participants are tsunami survivors, who moved to this rural inland community when the giant waves destroyed their homes and left the land unusable. The rest of the project participants come from poor or conflict-affected families, like Pak Rusli’s.

With help from CARE, he and six other farmers formed a community group and attended a training session in the nearby town of Sigli on how to grow a new type of bananas to sell in the local market. Each farmer received a cash grant, and guidance on how to implement their business plans.

After a four-month growing season, Pak Rusli and his farming group will sell the bananas for 12,500,000 (1,320USD or 897EUR) – enough to feed their families and further invest in their farms. With the profit, they plan to quadruple the size of their first crop of banana plants.

"Before, we had nothing. But then we got help from CARE and set up a plantation with a fence, and a small house for working. We have money for seeds," he said proudly, showing off his crop of saplings.

"And now, our only conflict is trying to stop wild boar from eating our crops."