Following the successful completion of
520 shelters on the island of Nias, which had been affected by the 28th
of March 2005 earthquake, ACTED is now moving on to a new school rehabilitation
project in Onozalukhu, a village in the north of the island.
The Onozalukhu schools serve five other
nearby villages and were severely damaged or destroyed in the 8.7 earthquake
that hit Nias in 2005. Since then children have had to study in temporary
classrooms without any toilet facilities. The temporary schools were supplied
by various agencies in the immediate aftermath of the quake, but many of
these have now fallen into disrepair.
During the assessment we discussed the difficulty of teaching the children in these facilities with local teachers. Local teachers pointed out that it is particularly difficult to have classes when it is raining. Without proper protection lessons have to be stopped as the wind and rain blows through the tents and other temporary structures used. Without proper classrooms, desks and other facilities the teachers struggle to keep the student's attention.
As a result of the earthquake, many of the students lost family members or saw their family's income reduce sharply. As you can see from this picture though, they have not lost their sense of humour and were very pleased to talk to us and have their photo's taken during the assessment!
The project is funded by Cités Unies France which approached ACTED to support an integrated action in one village affected by the 28th of March 2005 earthquake. The school construction is indeed accompanied by the provision of water and sanitation facilities and the repair of the village community centre.