Bricks and boats bring employment opportunities to Indonesia
By Candace Rector
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With a new fishing boat, Jainal, 24, can earn enough income to provide for his family.
Nurhalifa at work in the brick factory. Employees output approx. 700 bricks per day.
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ACEH, Indonesia - Last year, Operation Blessing Indonesia, Obor Berkat Indonesia,
implemented two economic restoration programs - a fishing boat and brick factory - to restore and improve
the livelihoods of Aceh villagers left impoverished by the tsunami disaster.
The fishing boat program, which began in March 2005, aids the towns of Meulaboh, Lhok Kruet and
Lhokseumawe, supplying local fishermen with 136 boats over the course of one year. Each boat provides
three families with a job and income.
Father and son team Adenan Abidin, 46, and Jainal Abidin, 24, are grateful for the help.
"I never thought I could own another boat. Life was so hard without a boat. Now we can fish again.
Everyday, I can bring home money for my wife and child and can save enough money to buy another boat
some day," Jainal said.
In May, just two months after initiating the boat project, Operation Blessing opened the Obor
Berkat brick factory, adding a new and innovative way for villagers to earn income.
Nurhalifa, one of 30 employees at the factory, previously made $58 a month
working for a palm oil factory. Now she earns up to $168 a month, more than
doubling her income. The increase not only covers her daily living expenses, food and children’s
school fees, but it also allows her to save for her family.
"My life is better. I have a job, a larger income and I can send my kids to school," Nurhalifa
said.
According to a staff member with OB Indonesia, the average income for a family living in the Aceh
Province is approximately $3 a day. Employees at the brick factory are paid according to daily production, averaging 700 bricks at 8 cents per brick, for a total of $5.60 a day. In addition to the
increased income, the supply of bricks is in high demand as home rebuilding projects continue throughout Indonesia.
Husband and wife Zakharia and Ruzaimah, who work at the factory, say the job has helped
their family restore what they lost from the tsunami.
"We had nothing left; everything was swept away by the tsunami. We are now living comfortably
and this is what we asked for, that we could make a living."
How You Can Help
Today, thousands of tsunami victims are in need of jobs to help rebuild their lives and
provide a better future for their children. Operation Blessing teams are still on the ground
and working throughout the affected region, with plans to remain until 2007. Be a part of OBI’s
ongoing recovery efforts throughout Indonesia by making a financial donation today.
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