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Dateline ACT
Indonesia 0706
Fishermen in Indonesia use skills and determination to restart their livelihoods
By Lesvi Roselim, ACT International
Banda Aceh, Indonesia, July 11, 2006--Fishermen in Indonesia’s Aceh province were severely affected when they lost their boats and equipment – and thus their livelihoods – in the December 26, 2004, tsunami. But the loss of these major assets for their work and other possessions in their homes in this disaster did not leave some fishermen completely without resources. For two fishermen, practical and organizational skills acquired before the tsunami are being put to use in the rebuilding of their livelihoods, a sign of recovery and hope among people who were devastated by the enormous catastrophe.
Getting back to what he knows
Four colorful boats sit under a shed, the workplace of a boat-building group supported by Church World Service (CWS) Indonesia and its partner organization Yayasan Pembela Petani dan Nelayan/PAPAN (The Defender of the Farmers and Fishermen Foundation). CWS is one of three members of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International in Indonesia. A group of workers checks the recently delivered engines for each boat. The 23-horsepower engines will be fitted to the four boats and given to the fishermen in the village of Kuala Tuha, Nagan Raya District.
The boat builders constructed the four boats in three months. Each boat is 15 meters long and can accommodate five to six crew members. The head of the boat-building group, Samsuar, 32, estimates that the group can build one wooden boat a month or less if they had more workers.
Samsuar, who was recently married, has been living near the coast all his life and has worked as a fisherman, fish trader and boat builder since he finished high school. He learned the skills of boat-building from his uncle, skills which would turn out to be instrumental in rebuilding his life after the tsunami.
Samsuar lost his father in the tsunami, the only family he had. He also lost all his possessions, including two fishing boats that he owned with his father.
Following the tsunami, apart from the little assistance he received from the government and relief organizations, he struggled to survive. He did whatever he could to get back on his feet, including peeling coconut skins, which enabled him to earn US$1.30 a day (for peeling around 500 coconuts) and working as a crew member on fishing boats.
But he soon started working for other people, using his boat-building skills. Through CWS-ACT’s local partner, PAPAN Foundation, his skills were recognized, and he was quickly given the task of constructing four 15-meter fishing boats for 40 fishermen in the sub-district.
Samsuar, now working with four other people in his own boat-building group, is known in the area for his boat-construction skills. “I am trusted not just because I have the skill, but people know that I can be trusted, and I am honest. Those are the most important things,” Samsuar said when asked what the keys to his accomplishments are.
At the end of the conversation, Samsuar said, “I just want to have a happy life with my wife and have children. I love fishing and living around the sea, so when I’m finished building these boats I can relax, and I want to go back out to the sea again.”
Looking to the future with a positive attitude
Since 1990, Amuis, 42, has held the position of keuchik (leader) in his village. He and the other residents have always believed that the sea near Aceh has a lot of potential because it is so rich. “We would be able to take benefits if we are equipped with the tools, such as boats for fishermen, seeds for farmers, and others. With a big boat, we can reach further to the open sea,” explained Amuis to CWS-ACT.
The father of four is also the leader of a fishing group, which received a boat to share among its ten members. The members take turns going on fishing trips. Working in a group means working together and trusting other members in the growth of the group, according to Amuis, who said that good management of the group will lead to the expansion of its capacity. “I believe if we are united, we will be able to improve the skill of the members and double the boats. We have to have good and honest financial management, and that’s what I would like to do in the group,” he said.
Various training sessions will be provided for the group, and so far, CWS-ACT/PAPAN have provided gender-awareness training and household-economy training, which includes ways to manage household income, for 40 recipients of the boats together with their wives.
“Assistance from the international world has been amazing. We are very grateful for what we have been receiving,” said Amuis, who had experienced difficult times even before the tsunami. “The people of Aceh had been struggling with the everlasting conflict in our economy, and now with the tsunami, but we are positive about the future. With the signing of the peace agreement and all the assistance, things are and will be better,” he added.
Vivi Roselim is an information officer for Church World Service Indonesia, a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International. Cecilia Budiana, also a CWS information officer, helped to edit this article.
See these other feature articles (and, in some cases, videos) showing how ACT members are assisting tsunami survivors in returning to work:
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