Feed a family in Indonesia| COVID-19 responses

On the first day (10/7) in Palu area, The Mustard Seed Mission volunteer team visited many places and key persons in order to collect more information and data about the disaster. Then, they looked after the community map to plan the widely understand the community situation for the preparation of disaster risk reduction.

Along the way, there are still many places in the disaster area that have not been rebuilt and restored.

In Mpanau Village, about 50 temporary houses were rebuilt in situ. It is forbidden to build any house within 100 meters of the coastline according to the government's strategy to rebuild the disaster areas; however, temporary houses are not limited to this.

So about 50 temporary houses were still being rebuilt in situ. Most of the community people were in relatives' homes before the temporary house construction is completed. Temporary houses would become permanent houses if people did not move out for a long time.

However, to know how to quickly respond to natural disasters is crucial to the affected villagers. The Mustard Seed Mission is focusing on disaster risk reduction education so sending a volunteer team in October 2019 to share and guide local government, schools, and villagers to know the knowledge and skills about disaster prevention and risk reduction.

Links:

• https://www.mustard.org.tw/locale/en/tab/869/id/2264

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred in Sulawesi, Indonesia and was followed by a tsunami, causing Palu city severely damaged. It was the deadliest earthquake in the world in 2018. Palu City was hit by a massive tsunami on September 28, 2018. Officially, 2,256 people died, 1,309 missing and 14,254 injured, with 223,751 displaced in temporary shelters.

The Mustard Seed Mission has started a recovery project in Palu, which including purchasing 30 new fishing boats to the local fishermen to restore their livelihood. The sailing ceremony on June 25th was spectacular, 30 new fishing boats set sailed to the ocean at same time; followed by dances from the local children, fishing boats painting and display of fish processed products. 

The restoration project assisted Padoloan, Panau and Kayumaue, the 3 serious damaged fishing villages in the coastal areas, by purchasing 30 fishing boats, 70 fishing nets and 2 sets of fish collectors, aiming to send local fishermen back to the sea to make a living again. Moreover, with the purchase of shredded fish equipment, women learn skills to preserve and extend shelf life of fish catches; they also learn e-commerce to sell their product. Furthermore, providing after-school care, counseling, and post- trauma treatment activities to children.

Rendra, a 36-year-old fisherman, said that when the tsunami struck, his wife and his second son were swept about 50 meters away. When they found his son, he was not breathing. Fortunately, after the first aid treatment, his son showed vital signs again. His wife was injured and couldn’t walk for a month. Rendra's family is in good recovery now. He is very grateful to God that he can still make living from fishing in this difficult phase of life after the disaster. Although he does not know that where Taiwan is, he is very grateful for this assistance from overseas.

Facing the long reconstruction period in Palu City, The Mustard Seed Mission will plan to invest in community sponsorship, long-term disaster recovery and reconstruction, and sending Taiwan volunteers to promote disaster prevention education in order to save more lives while encountering future disasters. 

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