Last week I visited some needy schools in Sumatra (Medan and Pekan Baru). This week I received an invitation to visit a very needy school in Nias Island (Pulau Nias) which is an island off the west coast of Sumatra.
For many of us, Sumatra is not on our mental radar-screens. However, the recent earthquake (October 25, 2010) and its follow-up tsunami that killed 430 people (plus many missing yet unaccounted for) has brought Sumatra back to the news screens.
The west coast of Sumatra runs alongside the Sumatra-Andaman fault line. In Dec 26, 2004 this fault-line ruptured and caused the deaths of almost 300,000 people. Subsequently in March of 2005 it ruptured again causing huge destruction to the west coast of Sumatra. The rupture that took place was the longest fault rupture ever recorded in history! Because of this fault-line, we can expect more earthquakes in the near future.
Many charitable groups have done much work in rebuilding the infrastructure after each earthquake. However, not many organizations are helping educate the vulnerable people who are affected by these calamities.
Since Goducate’s aim is to help needy Asians help themselves, Sumatra is an area that we must focus our efforts on. We believe that relevant education can help Sumatrans help themselves to minimize the effects of these calamities.