The need
Saney village is on the west coast of Aceh and faced the epicentre of the earthquake and tsunami in December 2004. The school was utterly destroyed and only 42 of 130 pupils survived. Of these, 15 lost one parent, and 13 were orphaned.
What we achieved
This project rebuilt the school whilst providing temporary educational, nutritional and psychological aid in the interim. Six classrooms, one office, two bathrooms, three teachers’ rooms and a prayer room were built in a new location and decorated according to specifications set out by the children and the community.
The impact
As a result of our work in Saney, 46 pupils are attending the school with a 100% attendance record (reported in June 2007). The school is involved in a broader School Improvement Programme encouraging a child-friendly learning methodology for teachers. The teachers were also involved in counselling programmes designed to help the children deal with the traumas inflicted as a result of the tsunami and return life to normality.