Assessments of Dayah

The delegation concluded that based on numerous interviews and neighborhood visits, the children attending the orphanage boarding school come from highly impoverished families who are not able to afford easily the children’s basic needs. The Dayah serves these low income families who are striving to maintain their cultural identity in the midst of many pressures that would have them compromise their values, heritage, and culture.

The objective of the visiting delegation was also to find out how orphans surviving the tsunami could be served at the Dayah. The surrounding area around Subulusalaam has a great many survivors of the tsunami, many of who did come to the Dayah for education and shelter. But because the structural facilities could not support so many more students, some of the tsunami affected children had to be transferred to other places, leaving only 12 tsunami victims. The delegation found that if the basic needs of water, housing, and staffing are met, the school can accommodate and serve more orphans from the surrounding area. As the infrastructure is improved, those children who otherwise would have to be placed in farther locations can be brought to Dayah Subulusalam.

The physical condition of Dayah

3.         Electricity. The dorms do not have electricity. The electricity bill is very high, and since the Dayah cannot afford to pay the total amount, the lights are dim in all places. Staff told delegation members that some children graduate the Dayah with worsened eyesight because of this. 

Hope 4 Our Children proceeds with the refurbishment and painting of the four existing dorms, construction of running water system that can provide necessary water in the dorms. Along with this, dorms must have bathrooms with toilets and running water for all boarding students, benefiting the total of 223 children (existing disadvantaged students/orphans as well as tsunami victims). Construction is scheduled to begin by mid December of 2005.  

The current condition of the Dayah, both physically and financially, makes it almost impossible to accept more children. Therefore, Hope 4 Our Children is supporting Dayah to be self sufficient by disbursing a capital to start small business of crafting and mixed farming. 

During the course of this year, Hope 4 Our Children has also allocated: 

• funds to cover food for children for eight months
• books, towels and sarong and hygienic supplies for the children

For more information on the Dayah Subussalam project, click here

Hope 4 Our Children donated funds toward women workshop and free clinic equipment in Sigli are to serve the tsunami victims. Programs are conducted by YAYASAN ILHAM in Aceh, Indonesia.

1. Free Clinic Project

Hope 4 Our Children helps one free clinic at Sigli area. Currently it provides free services for tsunami victims. It serves 40 to 60 patients daily. The clinic lacked medical equipment and essential medication, such as penicillin, painkillers.  The funds raised were distributed for the following:

2. Sigli Project – To Support Widows’ Livelihood  

Hope 4 Our Children helps the existing program of PII/MSA (pelajar IslamIndonesia/Muslim Student Association) procuring sewing machines and embroidery machines for the livelihood of more than 25 women victims of tsunami. Additionally, we disbursed funds for training those women to sew and embroider to help them find jobs in embroidery business and in the long run, to run their own business.

Moreover, Hope 4 Our Children is working together with Yayasan Ilham in Sigli on teaching the women and men of tsunami victim how to produce salted fish . We procured one packaging machine to pack shredded fish for fish crackers home industry / small business. This industry generates income to tsunami victims without the need of large capital. It will help them gain their livelihood.

3. Sigli Orphanage Project

Hope 4 Our Children disbursed funds for two pesantrens (boarding school) benefiting about 1,000 children in Sigli. Furthermore, Hope 4 Our Children plans to disburse part of funds raised in April 2005 fundraiser to the existing orphanage in Sigli area which housed 63 tsunami children.

Faizah Badeges, Hope 4 Our Children founder and Board will travel to Sigli, Aceh in January 2006 to monitor the progress of the Sigli projects as well as finalize the initial design work of the dorm which will be suitable for an earthquake and tsunami prone region. The disbursement of funds to construct one dorm for 63 children is expected to be done at the end of January 2006. 

She will also bring a team of experts (volunteering their time and expertise). The team will consist of two authors, a doctor, a hospital administrator and an expert on special needs children. The purposes of the trip: