May Recovery Highlights
May 20
Indonesia: Tsunami
Doctors and nurses with Operation Blessing Indonesia have treated more
than 77,000 patients since the tsunamis struck last December. In many rural
areas such as the community of Rigah, the nearest clinic is more than two
hours away, and without OBI medical teams, residents would not receive
the treatment they need.
OBI clinics have also been stocked with a greater variety of medicine
to address specific illness in the hardest-hit regions of Aceh. Patients
suffering from things such as tetanus, measles, cholera, malaria, tuberculosis
and snake bites can now receive life-saving treatment.
Relief and recovery operations continue to focus on the communities of
Panga, Rentang, Rigah, Lhok Kruet, Meulaboh and Lhoong. However,
OBI’s
work stretches from the major city of Banda Aceh into rural areas
such as Lamno, where medical teams recently held a dental clinic.
Operation
Blessing’s boat repair and construction projects also
persist throughout the region, regularly allowing fishermen to head
back out onto the water. At a recent boat launch in Langkak, a local fisherman
named Hermanto said, “There were a lot of people who came to this
village and did assessments, but nothing was ever done. Then Operation
Blessing came and asked questions, and we saw results.”
Also, brick factories have been opened to fulfill the overwhelming demand
for building materials, as well as to replace factories destroyed
by the tsunami and provide income for struggling disaster victims. OBI’s
factory in Rigah produces 14,000 units per day.
Thailand: Tsunami
Operation Blessing Thailand and its partners recently established the
Step Ahead Development Training Center for tsunami survivors. The center
is uniquely designed to integrate training, mentoring, counseling services
and income generation. Classes at the center provide the skills needed
for employment in the hotel and restaurant industries, as well as language
training. Handicraft production is also taught, along with the marketing
skills necessary to sell the handmade items.
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