Indonesia

The 2006 earthquake destroys the infrastructure of an entire region

A devastating earthquake destroyed large parts of the region around Yogyakarta on the Indonesian island of Java. The quake shook the entire region, killing about 6,000 people, injuring another 70,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Cap Anamur immediately provided emergency aid and secured medical care in the mountainous region of Ngipar.

The school building of the mountain village had been completely destroyed by the earthquake.

With medical and food supplies secured to a satisfactory level in the hard-to-reach region by early August, the only thing left to do was to wait for the completion of construction work on the school to be restored.

On a rotational basis, up to forty local workers from Ngong-Bong were involved in the construction work. In addition to wages, this also provided as many people as possible with practical knowledge to restore their own homes. After a temporary structure had been erected at the beginning to resume school operations, building materials first had to be organized under adventurous conditions and transported to the region, which was difficult to reach. Despite the initially adverse circumstances, the construction progressed well, mainly due to the incredible solidarity of the locals in succession.

The result, which is particularly resistant to earthquakes and was achieved in a joint effort that took just twelve weeks from planning to completion, is something to be proud of. So it will be especially hard for our team members and the people in Ngong-Bong to say goodbye to each other.

However, Cap Anamur will not be resented for withdrawing from the region, as the supply security has been restored and the school construction project has been completed, as well as sanitation facilities for the community have been financed.