90 New Houses Dedicated To Tsunami-Affected Indonesian Families

Dow funds 70 of the houses as well as water treatment facility in Pasi Aron village, Sigli

First things first: An Indonesian religious leader conducting a traditional ceremony to bless the ground breaking of a water treatment facility in Pasi Aron village

ACEH, 14th May 2006: Ninety families affected by December 2004 tsunami in Sigli, east of Indonesia, now have a new roof under their heads. Ninety new houses built by Habitat for Humanity Indonesia are recently dedicated in the village of Pasi Aron, Jangka Buya city.

Of the 90 houses, 70 of them are funded by PT Dow Chemical Indonesia, the local arm of Dow Chemical, one of Habitat for Humanity’s top global supporters. The houses built are under the first phase of HFH Indonesia’s reconstruction program in Jangka Buya that started in February 2006.

A dedication ceremony on 1st May was held for the new houses where the Pasi Aron villagers receive symbolic keys to their new houses. A ground-breaking ceremony was also conducted for a water treatment facility to be built in the village. A traditional religious ceremony called “peseujuk” was held to bless all reconstruction works. Dow is donating the water treatment facility.

In the end of 2005, Dow had funded 51 houses for tsunami-affected families in Emperom, Banda Aceh.

To date, HFH Indonesia’s North Aceh Center has built 265 houses in the district of Pidie in which the Pasi Aron village is located. Out of these, 175 houses have been dedicated in December 2005.