WHERE WE WORK:
Banda Aceh, Indonesia
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 Zeini and his son greet customers in their new motorcycle shop.
 Husin smiles, happy to be conducting business once again.
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Standing proudly outside his newly
re-furbished motorcycle repair shop
in Banda Aceh, Zeini tells us that
business is good. His story, like
so many others in Banda Aceh, is
a tragic one; a young husband and
father, he lost two young children and
his wife in the tsunami on December 26, 2004. His
sole livelihood – the motorcycle
shop and its contents - was swept
away by the powerful wave leaving
Zeini traumatized, grieving and
penniless. With two surviving
children to support and provide for,
Zeini had little time to mourn and focused on re-building his business from the ground
up. A small grant from Operation USA earlier this year gave Zeini the extra help needed
to get his small shop up and running.
Husin’s tale is no less heart-rendering; losing his
wife and child in the tsunami while his grocery
shop and its entire inventory was destroyed.
Three months after receiving a grant from
Operation USA to re-establish his shop, Husin
tells us that business is booming. A visit to his
shop confirms this as we squeeze past sacks of
rice and stacked boxes to the back of the shop
where he was busy serving customers.
Zeini and Husin are two of forty-seven men that
Operation USA identified to receive small
grants. With surviving children to support and
their livelihoods swept away in seconds,
Operation USA decided to award small grants to
those men who wished to re-establish their
businesses and restore a stable income. As the
second anniversary of the Asian Tsunami
approaches, Zeini and Husin, together with the other widowers in Banda Aceh, have a
regular income; a vital and significant step on the road to recovery has been taken. |
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"This 'exceptional' designation
from Charity Navigator differentiates
Operation USA from its peers and
demonstrates to the public
it is worthy of their trust."
~Trent Stamp, President
Charity Navigator
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Operation USA is re-licensed
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Village Mural
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Theater
Ensemble hold toys donated
for Operation
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