|
After the generosity of Australians to our tsunami appeal early 2005, we are pleased to advise that construction work is now well underway for the Children's Care Centre project, in the village of Sibreh, Aceh province, Indonesia. Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund committed to building t he Centre using these donated funds, and then operating the Centre for a five year period, in partnership with Muhammadiyah. Muhammadiyah is a large, modernist social welfare organisation in Indonesia, and we are proud of the historic Memorandum of Understanding between our two organisations.
All the foundations for the ten cottages are finished, with work accelerating after rain delays. Walls to many buildings are also complete. Each cottage will house 8 young people (in 4 bedrooms) with a central lounge area. Each bedroom will have wardrobes, beds, desks and chairs, as well as storage shelves and a beside table. A big dining table in the central shared area of the cottage means that homwork, reading and craft activities can be done together, under the careful supervision of a team leader for each house.
The existing wooden huts will be left in the same location, and will be used to expand after school activities such as computer classes, and to expand the little library that the children run themselves.
One large fenced area of the land will be used for farming activities, such as crops, cattle and fresh fish cultivation. Food harvested from these activities will not only be used to feed the residents and staff at the Children's Care Centre, but will be sold at the local markets. The income received will be used towards the running costs of the Centre, such as food, water, wages, school fees and books, clothing and shoes, and electricity.
We anticipate the project will be complete by October this year, with a grand opening scheduled for November. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been invited to officially open the Centre.
|
