Putting The "Play" Back Into Playtime -
Rebuilding Lives In Aceh, Indonesia

Walk through the sub-district of Meuraxa in Banda Aceh today and the scars from the destruction of the Asian tsunami are still clearly visible. The coastal landscape is dotted with broken concrete foundations - all that remains of houses that had once densely populated the area. Dirt roads have replaced asphalt streets that, pre-tsunami, were busy with the noisy hustle and bustle of Meuraxan daily life. Virtual silence remains. Over the last few months, at certain points during the day, the still eeriness that is Meuraxa is punctuated occasionally by sounds: the clatter of passing dump trucks; the hammering of carpenters and builders; the cries from the noodle seller precariously peddling his mobile kiosk through the scattered building sites. These are the sounds of a community slowly rebuilding itself.

Nowadays, there is a new sound, a sound that has not been heard in these parts for a very long time: the sound of children playing. Follow the sounds of laughter and shouting and they will lead you to a site that seems incongruous with the barren gloom of the surrounding landscape. A bright pastel pink fence starkly stands out against the dreary backdrop of Meuraxa encircling equally vibrantly colored swings, a merry-go-round, slides and an obstacle course. It is a vivid and powerful symbol of hope for a devastated community that lost over eighty-five per cent of its population – hope that life will eventually return to normalcy for them and hope that the surviving children of Meuraxa will be able to move forward with their lives and play again.

Operation USA has funded the construction of nine such playgrounds in some of the worst hit villages of Meuraxa through its local partner, Yayasan Lamjabat. Taking its name from the organization founder’s birthplace, Lamjabat - one of the more devastated villages in Meuraxa - YL’s vision is that all tsunami-survivors from Meuraxa have access to the necessary support needed to rebuild their lives and villages. In addition to providing hands-on assistance for the children and teenagers where they can, YL’s mandate is to facilitate linking together the resources currently available from international NGOs with the self-determined needs of tsunami-survivors in the sixteen villages that make up the sub-district.

Focusing exclusively on the children and youth of Meuraxa, who are not only vulnerable but crucial members of Meuraxan society, has helped YL meet needs that have hitherto been neglected by other agencies. Making up approximately twenty-one percent of the surviving population, many of the children and youth who survived lost either one or both parents, siblings or other members of their extended families. Tragically, the majority of tsunami victims in Meuraxa were women thus resulting in a surviving male-dominated community which frequently under-prioritizes and overlooks concerns relating to children and youth.

One of the more poignant after-effects of the tsunami in Meuraxa was that children were subsequently isolated from one another as they were spread out and separated into a variety of camps and houses. Those that survived found it difficult to meet up with friends and on rare occasions when they did, there was nowhere safe to go and nothing to do. Children suddenly became vulnerable to boredom and the lack of the familiar family and community societal structures. As houses are rebuilt, some families have started to slowly move back to Meuraxa. However, the gloomy prospect of isolation and boredom filling the hours of afternoon playtime when school is over is cause for concern - particularly when the children and teenagers are likely to be experiencing stress and depression due to loss of their family, friends and the complete disruption of life as they knew it.