First of all we want to thank everyone who donated money to help some of the victims of the recent earthquakes in Lombok.
This page of the website will be showing updates about the situation and our visits there. You can get an idea of the situation and what the money is being spent on.
First visit 21/08/2018 - 23/08/2018
I went back to Lombok to check on the current situation and see where we could be of help in our old village. Tari stayed in Bali to look after our dog who was sick.
After speaking to some of the families in our village I really admired there positivity. They were also doing better than I expected. The people told me they were being supplied with drinking water, basic foods and clean water for shower and other basic needs. The government has also pledged to rebuild everyone's houses. They already came to the village to assess the damage
The government seems to be doing a good job here (something that is actually rare). Aid organizations like the Red Cross are also seen on the island to help.
People are still sleeping outside in tents or underneath plastic covers. Not everyone has mattresses yet and some people are even sleeping on the ground.
The rebuilding is probably going to take a while, especially North and West Lombok have been hit very hard, there is tremendous damage and it will take years to rebuild everything. So I am curious how the government will manage this and how much time it will take. Although in the media the president seems eager to make big promises (elections are around the corner). Hopefully he stands by his words.
One thing is sure, people will have to sleep outside for a lot longer. At the moment they are lucky it's dry season but end of september the raining season will start and it will be pouring down on them. The thin plastic covers over their heads won't be enough to cover them from the rain. Also the ground will become wet and they need to build temporary structures to sleep elevated from the ground.
People themselves want to wait with the rebuilding of their houses because they hope the government will do it for them. They can't afford to rebuild it by themselves. First the rubble has to be cleaned up.
Best course of action for the donations on this first visit was giving money to some families so they can buy basic things like soap, shampoo and some better variety of foods than the one they get from the government. Also so they have a bit of savings for emergencies.
Worst for them now is the lack of income, not only their home is destroyed but for many people also their income. Many people either worked in tourism (that is non existent now since the earthquakes) or had a shop next to their house where they sold basic items in the street (shops are all destroyed in the earthquake).
Actions this first vist:
Possible actions for later visit:
This page of the website will be showing updates about the situation and our visits there. You can get an idea of the situation and what the money is being spent on.
First visit 21/08/2018 - 23/08/2018
I went back to Lombok to check on the current situation and see where we could be of help in our old village. Tari stayed in Bali to look after our dog who was sick.
After speaking to some of the families in our village I really admired there positivity. They were also doing better than I expected. The people told me they were being supplied with drinking water, basic foods and clean water for shower and other basic needs. The government has also pledged to rebuild everyone's houses. They already came to the village to assess the damage
The government seems to be doing a good job here (something that is actually rare). Aid organizations like the Red Cross are also seen on the island to help.
People are still sleeping outside in tents or underneath plastic covers. Not everyone has mattresses yet and some people are even sleeping on the ground.
The rebuilding is probably going to take a while, especially North and West Lombok have been hit very hard, there is tremendous damage and it will take years to rebuild everything. So I am curious how the government will manage this and how much time it will take. Although in the media the president seems eager to make big promises (elections are around the corner). Hopefully he stands by his words.
One thing is sure, people will have to sleep outside for a lot longer. At the moment they are lucky it's dry season but end of september the raining season will start and it will be pouring down on them. The thin plastic covers over their heads won't be enough to cover them from the rain. Also the ground will become wet and they need to build temporary structures to sleep elevated from the ground.
People themselves want to wait with the rebuilding of their houses because they hope the government will do it for them. They can't afford to rebuild it by themselves. First the rubble has to be cleaned up.
Best course of action for the donations on this first visit was giving money to some families so they can buy basic things like soap, shampoo and some better variety of foods than the one they get from the government. Also so they have a bit of savings for emergencies.
Worst for them now is the lack of income, not only their home is destroyed but for many people also their income. Many people either worked in tourism (that is non existent now since the earthquakes) or had a shop next to their house where they sold basic items in the street (shops are all destroyed in the earthquake).
Actions this first vist:
- Gave money to some families.
- Bought 100 blankets for distribution among the people that need them.
Possible actions for later visit:
- Help the people prepare for the raining season by giving them money to build temporary elevated structures so they can sleep without getting wet.
- Give more money to some families that are in need.
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Second visit 12/09/2018 - 16/09/2018
We went to Lombok for a second visit to our village after the earthquakes.
A lot of debris has been cleaned up since my last visit. We spoke with a lot of people and despite the circumstances they tried to stay positive. People are just waiting now and hoping they can rebuild soon. Government has promised money for each home that has been destroyed. Until now the government didn't come through yet and most people need this money to be able to rebuild. Some people that can afford it are already rebuilding simple structures and roofings.
People in the village are creating their own security force since there are thieves from other places looking for easy places to loot. All belongings are in the open of course. The local government should have arranged this like in other villages but for some reason they are not paying attention to this problem so people took the matter in their own hands.
Another disappointing thing we heard is that the government has stopped with supplying food, water and other supplies. This support only lasted for a total of 3 weeks after the earthquake and should have been much longer I think. People now need to stand on their own feet again which is very difficult if you just lost your home and your source of income.
Infectious diseases and Malaria are spreading very quickly especially on West Lombok since most people live together with many families in small tents. Aid organizations like the Red Cross are also addressing these issues.
1. First row, left picture:
The woman in the picture became very ill and had to be treated in the hospital. Part of the donation was used for this as well.
2. First row, right picture:
Family started rebuilding their roadside shop from the donation money and already made progress.
3. Second row, left picture:
This is Mr. Gede who always worked in the village as head of security. His home has been completely flattened by the earthquakes. He's now working on construction sites to keep his family fed.
4. Second row, right picture:
Local motorbike repair shop rebuilding with the donation money.
5. Third row, left picture:
Local village head standing next to the foundation of his home.
We went to Lombok for a second visit to our village after the earthquakes.
A lot of debris has been cleaned up since my last visit. We spoke with a lot of people and despite the circumstances they tried to stay positive. People are just waiting now and hoping they can rebuild soon. Government has promised money for each home that has been destroyed. Until now the government didn't come through yet and most people need this money to be able to rebuild. Some people that can afford it are already rebuilding simple structures and roofings.
People in the village are creating their own security force since there are thieves from other places looking for easy places to loot. All belongings are in the open of course. The local government should have arranged this like in other villages but for some reason they are not paying attention to this problem so people took the matter in their own hands.
Another disappointing thing we heard is that the government has stopped with supplying food, water and other supplies. This support only lasted for a total of 3 weeks after the earthquake and should have been much longer I think. People now need to stand on their own feet again which is very difficult if you just lost your home and your source of income.
Infectious diseases and Malaria are spreading very quickly especially on West Lombok since most people live together with many families in small tents. Aid organizations like the Red Cross are also addressing these issues.
1. First row, left picture:
The woman in the picture became very ill and had to be treated in the hospital. Part of the donation was used for this as well.
2. First row, right picture:
Family started rebuilding their roadside shop from the donation money and already made progress.
3. Second row, left picture:
This is Mr. Gede who always worked in the village as head of security. His home has been completely flattened by the earthquakes. He's now working on construction sites to keep his family fed.
4. Second row, right picture:
Local motorbike repair shop rebuilding with the donation money.
5. Third row, left picture:
Local village head standing next to the foundation of his home.
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Third visit 24/01/2019 - 27/01/2019
This time another visit to Lombok. The village was a mix of ruins, short term shacks and people busy rebuilding. But in general there is progress. On the 3rd day we were there, people from our village were getting money from the government (everyone thought it wouldn't happen anymore) and it will probably accelerate the rebuilding throughout the island in the coming months.
Most important for you to know is some things that have been achieved with the donation money:
It was really good to see the progress that has been made because of the donation money and I think slowly they will get there. Tourism in Lombok now is really bad. It was very quiet. Shops and restaurants were empty and people were having a hard time finding work. The only work at the moment now is construction. So I hope tourism will pick up again in the future.
I can't post the new photo's made because of a problem with the format.
This time another visit to Lombok. The village was a mix of ruins, short term shacks and people busy rebuilding. But in general there is progress. On the 3rd day we were there, people from our village were getting money from the government (everyone thought it wouldn't happen anymore) and it will probably accelerate the rebuilding throughout the island in the coming months.
Most important for you to know is some things that have been achieved with the donation money:
- One of the villagers who we had given money needed to have 2 tumors removed from her stomach. She didn't have insurance and used the donation money for the hospital bills.
- The family who always owned a small shop near us, completely rebuild their shop and even improved it. They also made living space in the same building so they don't have to sleep outside anymore in the raining season.
- The scooter repair shop in the street who we had given money were operational again and had repaired their repair workshop with the money.
- And of course they used it for basic needs in these times without other income
It was really good to see the progress that has been made because of the donation money and I think slowly they will get there. Tourism in Lombok now is really bad. It was very quiet. Shops and restaurants were empty and people were having a hard time finding work. The only work at the moment now is construction. So I hope tourism will pick up again in the future.
I can't post the new photo's made because of a problem with the format.