09.02.19

Thank you from 13-year-old Jamila

  News

In 2016, thirteen-year-old Jamila was one of many children left out of school after a devastating earthquake destroyed schools across Indonesia’s Aceh province. Not only was Jamila’s schooling disrupted but her family was left homeless and forced to live in tents.

“In my village three people died and…[many] were injured. We became displaced for quite long. We moved to a soccer field and made tents for three months, [staying] together with other communities who had also gathered there,” Jamila recalls.

It’s families living in poverty, like Jamila’s, that are hardest hit when disaster strikes. But your donations can help. Earlier this year, thanks to your support, we completed the development of an earthquake resistant multipurpose community centre in Pidie Jaya, Aceh.

Now, the centre is being used to host training sessions on disaster preparedness and risk reduction to equip vulnerable children like Jamila with the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves during natural disasters.

“I have gained useful knowledge from simulation training and I [now] know how to react to earthquakes. If I am in school, when an earthquake occurs, the alarm bell will ring and we should follow the teacher’s instructions. If I am at home, I know what I should prepare…If my mother gets injured, I know how to treat her and my other family members. I will circulate the information to my schoolmates and to my family,” she says.

“I express my gratitude to donors and Islamic Relief [which] has given me training and wide knowledge. Thank you for giving us a multipurpose building… We are very grateful for this and only God can repay [you].”

Remember your support could change lives for the better and means the world to children like Jamila.


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