CWS Head Urges Alertness in Tsunami Recovery after Aceh Tour

The Executive Director of the Church World Service (CWS), Rev. John L. McCullough, has just closed a week-long tour of the Aceh Province in Indonesia on Thursday. With deep solidarity for the Indonesians, he has now urged the world to remain tense in tsunami recovery work as the impact of the disaster on the lives of people is unimaginably profound.

The Aceh Province, on the northern edge of Sumatra Island of Indonesia, was hardest hit by the deadly Boxing Day tsunami in Indian Ocean because it was closest to the epicentre of the quake. Today official figures revealed that the number of confirmed deaths in Indonesia alone rose to 117,810, which is around 40 percent of the overall death toll in South East Asia.

Rev. John L. McCullough warned, "Survivors in Aceh are beginning to pick up their lives, but the needs continue to be almost overwhelming. This territory cannot be left idle or left in the lurch to rebuild."

Rev McCullough gave a short report about the current situation of the region. "Even a month into recovery, all the images we saw in the media, all of the preparation we received did nothing to prepare me for what I saw."

"I saw a young girl four or five years old - a symbol of what has happened. She lost both parents. Her house is gone. She was taken in by a family in one of the camps for displaced people. She still exhibits the playful characteristics of children."

"In Banda Aceh (Aceh's provincial capital), there is still only one street. Everything else was destroyed," Rev McCullough continued.

Rev McCullough particularly addressed the psychological support needed for the tsunami survivors, which he considered as the most integral part of recovery work that can make people truly stand up again to start a new life. He mentioned the point last week before the tour began.

"The psychosocial dimensions we found in Aceh province," Rev McCullough reported, "are different from anything experienced in the past."

Those dimensions, he said, "must be the undergirding to help these people return to sustainable self-sufficiency. It's one thing to recover from a horrific tragedy, from great personal loss, but another to rebuild lives literally on top of soil that has been destroyed."

"They will be rebuilding on a cemetery in Banda Aceh, because all that is left are irretrievable body parts. We cannot leave them with this."

"Recovery of the dead is still going on and the international community is very much involved," Rev McCullough commented. "But the world community must stay focused and present for what will be long-term recovery in these worst-hit tsunami regions."

Rev McCullough emphasised, "Because of the magnitude of impact in places like Aceh province, we just can't afford to neglect long-term development with this catastrophe."

While recent reports from Oxfam said that aid efforts and supply distribution were being hampered by disorganisation and a surfeit of inexperienced non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Rev McCullough called on the United Nations (UN), aid agencies and Indonesian government to keep up with their "tightened, coordinated work".

He expressed his gratitude to CWS staff in Indonesia for its leadership, high level of skills, and commitment to mission. CWS has been playing a very important role in aid delivery since the first few hours of the tsunami.

"Between 27th December - the day after the tsunami hit - and 31th January, the number of new contributors to Church World Service increased tenfold over the agency's usual monthly increase," reports Rev. Peter D. Crouch, CWS Chief Development Officer.

Even till now, grassroots groups across the US are still mounting fundraising for CWS tsunami funds.

Rev Crouch said, "We estimate that it will take about $100,000 for our mobile clinic and clinicians to continue providing health care needs for those in our coverage area in Aceh, throughout the rest of 2005. Having that project supported even in part by student nurses associations is a perfect fit."

Travelling with Rev McCullough, CWS Indonesia Director Maurice Bloem mentioned that an ocean freighter, scheduled to leave the US on Monday 14th February, for Indonesia, carries a CWS shipment of disaster kits valued at $1,110,900. The shipment will provide 14,325 CWS "Gift of the Heart" School Kits (valued at $157,575), 56,475 Health Kits (valued at $677,700), and 7,875 Baby Kits (valued at $275,625).

In Sri Lanka, CWS emergency aid, reconstruction, and long-term recovery plans are also continuing.