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Journal from the Ground
by Kelly Craft and Kari Krakow
11:07AM- After
breakfast, we toured some of the tsunami affected areas in Banda
Aceh. The photo is of Prada, a former Police station, one of the
many sights we saw that day. The devastation everywhere is
shocking eventhough 2 months have passed since the quake and
tsunami. Picture taken by Kari and Kelly. |
12:55PM- Saiful has
many meetings throughout the day at Syiah Kuala University. We toured
the College of Science. He introduced us to his colleagues in the math
department where he teaches. Four of his colleagues perished in the
tsunami. One of the most difficult things for us is meeting wonderful
people who have all lost family members and friends. When we are
introduced, very often, they will tell us who in their family was lost.
3:04PM- Kelly and Kari meets volunteer teachers from PCC. (People’s Center for Children). |
3:06PM- Baby Bear meets volunteer teachers from PCC. (People’s Center
for Children). |
3pm- Teachers from PCC provide an enrichment program for the
displaced children in the Angan Village in Aceh Besar. The camps are
called IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps. Saiful set up a meeting
with them so we could discuss their work with the children in the camps
and they could ask us questions about how we work with young children in
American schools. Kari is modeling a greeting activity with Baby Bear.
We shared the letters and drawings the children in Ithaca had written
for Saiful and his friends. The PCC volunteers shared the drawings and
writings from the children in the camps. They told us that many of the
children come daily to draw pictures and write about their experiences
of the tsunami. It was clear to us that these teachers are providing a
safe and nurturing place where the children can share their stories and
process their feelings.
4:46PM- Volunteer teachers from PCC examine school supplies donated by Ithaca Community.
Picture taken by Kari and Kelly. |
The teachers have been working with little or no supplies. We learned
that it is very difficult to find safe and appropriate materials in
Indonesia. Everyone was so appreciative of the donations. The donations
will be placed at the various camps and will be available for children
who need them.
5:07PM-
After our meeting with the teachers, they
introduced us to the children they are working with. The
children and volunteer are singing their version of “The Itsy
Bitsy Spider”. Picture taken by Kari and Kelly. |
5:15PM-
The photo is of the village Krueng Raya, where
some children come from. Saiful explained to us that the IDP
camps are for people that no longer have any home or relatives
to stay with. Picture taken by Kari and Kelly. |
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