Habitat for Humanity Receives Bush-Clinton Tsunami Funding For Indonesia
BANGKOK, 2nd May 2006: Habitat for Humanity has been awarded a US750,000 grant from the Bush-Clinton Tsunami Fund. The funding will be used for 120 permanent houses to be built by the end of August in the Aceh Jaya district on the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In other parts of hard-hit Aceh province, Habitat has already built more than 2,000 houses with tsunami-affected families and plans to complete more than 7,500 before the end of 2007.
“It’s an honor to partner with Habitat for Humanity in this important work,” said former President George H.W. Bush. “President Clinton and I will never forget the destruction and devastation we saw when we visited Indonesia after the tsunami. One of the most important things we can do for the people who lost everything is to give them a place they can call home; a place where they can begin to rebuild their lives.”
Supporting important work: former US presidents Clinton and Bush support Habitat’s reconstruction efforts
“We are very grateful for this grant,” said Steve Weir, Habitat for Humanity’s Asia-Pacific vice president. “The Bush-Clinton funds will boost our capacity to serve communities on the west coast of Aceh.”
“It is very difficult to get materials and build on the west coast because of the remoteness of the villages and the total lack of infrastructure. This funding will allow us to build with more of these families who lost everything,” Weir said.
Habitat’s tsunami-recovery reconstruction has been recognized by the Indonesian government’s Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, called “BRR” (Bandan Rehabilitasi dan Reconstruksi). BRR has requested that Habitat be the first non-governmental organization to begin construction in other areas throughout the region.
Habitat’s tsunami-recovery houses in Aceh are about 411 sq. ft in area. The earthquake-resistant structures are made of fired brick and reinforced concrete posts and beams, roofing material is a reflective metal, and walls are plastered and painted inside and outside.
Habitat for Humanity’s tsunami-recovery program will provide direct housing assistance to approximately 20,000 families in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand by building new houses, renovating and repairing damaged houses. Disaster mitigation services and training will also be provided to tsunami-affected communities.
Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in Americus, Georgia, USA, in 1976, Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses in 3,000 communities around the world, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than one million people.