he island of Nias was an undeveloped area and now the reconstruction aid after the tsunami could help the population improve its life conditions.” Father Vincenzo Baravalle, regional head of the Xaverian missionaries in Indonesia, said to MISNA. Nias was close to the epicenter of the earthquake of last December 26, which ended up costing the life of 290,000 people in various countries of South East Asia and parts of Eastern Africa.
"The emergency is over and the government is moving ahead with the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure, while the local inhabitants appear to be calm and resigned to their situation". The missionaries are offering small but significant contributions to the people of Nias, a territory of about 26,000 people where the tsunami killed at least 150 people, rendered 1,500 homeless and almost totally destroyed the infrastructure.
The Xaverians have donated the money collected in the last months to the locals of the, mostly Christian, island to buy 352 motorized bicycles, useful for transporting produce or fish. The mission in Padang is also creating a fund worth 4 billion rupiah (over $ 326,000) for the education of 500 students in Nias schools and will also undertake to rebuild a Church that was destroyed dedicating the new edifice to those, who perished in the tsunami caused disaster.
"They are little things – commented father Baravalle – but they give courage to people and they make them feel less isolated". The Xaverians are also financing the 56 Muslim students that transferred from the University in Aceh to the Islamic University in Padang and who, found themselves to without any families after the tsunami.
"Our aid – stresses the missionary – is accompanied by a declaration affirming that we have absolutely no intention of converting thos students to Christianity. In areas like Aceh, where Islam is strictly observed, any contribution made by Christians is always distributed with the assistance of local Muslim structures.”
(From MISNA)