All The World (January 2010)

JANUARY–MARCH 2010 Vol 48 No 1

smiles of hope in India Photo by Duane Bassoo

Contents

a time for peace

Contents The Philippines

C

AN it really be 10 years since we welcomed the year 2000? It’s probably a sign of my advancing years but I can’t believe a whole decade has passed since 1999 drew to a close with great fanfare, seemingly enough fireworks to blow up a small country and widespread panic that everything would grind to a halt thanks to the millennium bug.

Since then the world seems to have changed so much. The attack on the Twin Towers in the USA in 2001 and other terrorist atrocities have created a world where fear seems to be the number one driving force. And, of course, who can forget the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 that killed almost 230,000 people?

I suspect many people will have said good riddance to the ‘noughties’ – as these years have been called – though it wasn’t all bad. I look back on the decade with mixed emotions. My wife, Nichola, and I have lost one grandmother each but – in a pleasing balance – we’ve gained two sons. My abiding memories of the past decade are the joys and frustrations of learning to be a dad. I’m still working on that one!

The noughties ended with a bang and a splash for the countries in south-east Asia which bore the brunt of some of the most destructive typhoons in living memory. The Salvation Army’s work around that region is reflected heavily in this issue of All the World, with articles that show the response in The Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.

One thing I’ve become aware of over the past decade is the growing attitude in the media that some people are more important than others, that some lives are more worth reporting about.

I recall getting angry at the headline in a British newspaper, ‘British girl snatched by tsunami’, when I knew that hundreds of local people from Samoa had lost their lives but were seemingly unimportant.

The striking photos from India by Duane Bassoo in the centre spread and on the cover, along with Ben Cotterill’s record of his experiences, help us to focus on the humanity of the people being helped by The Salvation Army.

They’re not faceless ‘victims’, they’re very obviously people like you and me – people with problems, poor people, some of them sick people but also people with normal, everyday worries, people with friends, people with loves and hates.

Finally, it’s wonderful to begin 2010 with a story of peace breaking out in Papua New Guinea, where some remarkable work by The Salvation Army brought to an end a quarter of a century of fighting.

The past decade has been tough for many people but let’s hope that, like the tribes in Papua New Guinea, we can start afresh and that the next 10 years bring plenty more stories of peace, hope and love for us all.

3

Salvationists ignore their own problems to help others

India

7

Photojournalist and project worker join forces

Papua New Guinea

13

Persuading warring tribes to lay down their arms

Indonesia

15

Taking medical care and other assistance to hurting people

Taiwan

18

Bringing help where the roads have disappeared

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www.salvationarmy.org/alltheworld

Editor: Kevin Sims Artwork, illustrations and design: Berni Georges Editorial Office: The Salvation Army International Headquarters, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4EH, United Kingdom Tel: [44] (0)20 7332 0101; fax: [44] (0)20 7332 8079 Email: kevin_sims@salvationarmy.org Founder: William Booth General: Shaw Clifton Editor-in-Chief: Major Laurie Robertson 2 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

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The Philippines

a growing admiration Major Raelton Gibbs reports from The Philippines on Salvationists and volunteers who are ignoring their own difficulties to help people in need

T

HE resilient people of The Philippines are used to abnormalities in weather patterns, but 2009 was an extraordinary year that pushed them to the limit of their ability to cope – and beyond. Nature unleashed its fury on the country, battering the capital and northern provinces with typhoon after typhoon. Typhoon Ondoy caused the worst flooding around the capital, Manila, in 40 years. This was closely followed by Typhoon Pepeng a little further north.

These two storms killed more than 900 and affected the lives of an estimated seven million people.

Above: a community in Rizal where the waters swept through, taking everything in their path

but the size of the task seemed overwhelming.

My International Emergency Services As part of the International Emergency colleague and I brought to the process Services team deployed to support The organisational and assessment skills that Salvation Army’s The Philippines Territory, enabled everybody to move from the I arrived not knowing how the Lord was feeling of being a rabbit u n a b l e t o going to use me to do his move as headlights work in this situation. What The will and good approached to a position of unique role, I wondered, being able to make a intentions were was The Salvation Army positive contribution. going to be asked to fill in there but the size The confidence and of the task seemed understanding to network The Philippines?

From the first day it overwhelming and coordinate with the quickly became clear how large number of other large the disaster was. Even for the very organisations enabled The Salvation Army large organisations such as the World Food to become one of the players in the major Programme the logistics of reacting to the international response. needs were daunting.

The financial response from the For The Salvation Army the will and continued on page 4 good intentions were there in abundance JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 3

The Philippines

Above: a woman in Santa Rosa, Laguna, waits to cross the main road

a growing admiration continued from page 3

international Salvation Army was moving, with even territories with their own major problems sacrificially donating to the emergency response fund. The Salvation Army’s Hong Kong and Macau Command secured a major donation from the Hong Kong Government to assist 26,000 people affected by Typhoon Ondoy. In excess of 4 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

US$1 million was made available to assist the emergency humanitarian response.

Part of my role is to help apply for funding and then to ensure the money is used appropriately. I observed a food distribution in the early days of my deployment which was undertaken in a community in Santa Rosa (Laguna). It really brought home some of the conditions people were coping with.

The barangay (village) was situated on the shores of a large lake that had flooded

due to the amount of water flowing into it.

The water in places was up to people’s shoulders and unlikely to recede for months. It was smelly and polluted, yet we sat and watched young children playing and swimming in it.

What struck me was the community spirit. Everybody got stuck in. Local teachers, Salvation Army officers and volunteers all mucked in together, forming chains to move food parcels from the hall where they were stored to the lorry supplied by the local mayor free of charge.

Everybody wanted to help.

The journey was an interesting one.

Diverted due to the flooding, we were directed down a narrow side road with motorbike taxis and other vehicles on each side. It was difficult watching the lorry inch its way down a road that was really far too narrow. It certainly proved a spectacle, with all the locals coming out of their houses in disbelief that a vehicle that size was passing down their road.

The Philippines Then came the realisation that the further the lorry travelled, the lower the electric wires across the road were becoming. The solution they came up with was to sit a man on the roof with a stick, lifting the live wires up to enable the lorry to pass under. It was a ‘health and safety’ nightmare – my prayer life was more than active at that moment!

With 1,000 food parcels to distribute, the convoy was not met by a quiet queue of people patiently waiting to receive their allocation. In reality there were in excess of 3,000 people jostling, anxiously trying to ensure they received the first support provided since the typhoon. While to the casual observer the next few hours could have appeared chaotic, the reality was that the process was organised, effective and worked well.

A few days later I was carrying out an assessment. We had spent the day walking through smelly water and talking to people still confined to the upper floors of their houses, then we visited an emergency shelter that housed nearly 2,500 people in a basketball stadium.

It had been open for two weeks and, than the one shared by my colleague, Major while it was dry and food was available, it Daryl Crowden. Daryl, an Australian was one of the most depressing sights I Salvation Army officer, met 17-year-old have seen. It was hot, with an overriding Arjay when he visited Northern Luzon to stench of human sweat. There was clearly a undertake a needs assessment. Arjay’s lack of toilet facilities and we walked past home was in a small village called Little women in the few washing areas trying to Kibungin on the outskirts of La Trinidad, wash themselves, their children and high in the mountains. clothes.

His family had sent him to school in Families of two and three generations Manila but when he heard of Typhoon were lying in areas just big enough for them Pepeng’s imminent arrival and the likely to fit in. They were hot, scale of damage he felt he helpless and irritable, not What struck me was should return home to be knowing what their the community spirit with his family. future would be, while He arrived home the people from the media got their stories and morning after the typhoon had made pictures. From these scenes I can landfall and what met him would destroy understand the reluctance of people to leave his life. I can only imagine that what their barangay even when they have lost happened was like the scene in the film everything.

Evan Almighty where a dam broke and Each of these people and millions more torrents of water rushed through the valley; affected by the disaster have their own but this was for real. tragic stories to tell, but for me none Daryl says: ‘The mountain above his illustrate the life-changing events more family home was torn in two, and half the mountain had collapsed on top of Little Below: in order to raise money, some people search through the debris to find items that can be recycled

continued on page 6

JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 5

The Philippines Right: Arjay, who lost his family in a landslide and (far right) his family’s house; below: a basketball stadium used to offer temporary accommodation

a growing admiration continued from page 5

Kibungin. There was a scar from the top of the mountain to the valley below, one kilometre long and 500 metres wide.

Anything that had been in the way was gone.

The mountain road was inaccessible, the electricity poles had been torn out of the ground and thrown away like toothpicks – and the houses, all the houses, were gone.

Among the rich, fertile soil of the mountain were splinters of concrete slabs, walls, furniture and bodies.’

Arjay’s two-storey concrete house was not where it should have been. He discovered it 300 metres further down the valley and on further investigation found both his parents dead inside and his two younger brothers missing. When Daryl met Arjay, the young man was watching the police and workmen digging with bulldozers. He had done this for 11 days.

The search team was still looking for the last two unaccounted bodies – Arjay’s brothers. Of the 100 families in Arjay’s village, 84 – totalling 263 people – were lost in the landslide.

As in all societies, the people who suffer most in disaster situations are the poorest.

In The Philippines it is the section of society know as ‘informal settlers’. They

had built their lives and shanties along the makes The Salvation Army tick – a banks of the Pasig and Marikina Rivers and practical expression of the familiar phrase other main waterways in Metro Manila – we use: ‘Heart to God, hand to man’. the places that were worst hit by the When Typ h oon O nd o y devastated typhoons. Badly devastated and flooded out Metro Manila and the surrounding region, by storms, they have no options in life and the area around the officer training college so no choice but to start rebuilding their was particularly badly hit. The staff and lives in the s ame place. Effectively, cadets left what they were doing and did they are putting what they could to assist themselves in a place As in all societies, distribution of food and non-food where they are likely to items. I thank God for them. the people who go through the same Typhoon Pepeng left all but thing again and again. suffer most in one Salvation Army property in The president has disaster situations Northern Luzon under water. ordered the relocation are the poorest While most of the of residents living non-governmental organisations around waterways due to the danger they (NGOs) working in The Philippines were face when the water level rises but these unable to provide initial relief due to the people have nowhere else to go. Like the inaccessibility of many areas, Salvation poor everywhere, it seemed to me, they are Army personnel were among the first to ‘damned if they do – damned if they don’t’. offer assistance in their communities, even While I was on deployment, observing though they too had been victims of the the tireless response of local Salvationists, I disaster. received a greater understanding of what My admiration for the work undertaken by fellow Salvationists and volunteers continues to grow with each deployment.

In The Philippines, during the emergency phase of this disaster relief effort, The Salvation Army will have assisted in excess of 50,000 people and provided 4,000 kitchen kits to help people as they try to restart their lives. It has been no small effort and the assistance will continue for the foreseeable future as the country begins to recover from the events of 2009.

Major Raelton Gibbs works for The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services at International Headquarters 6 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

India

inspirations, frustrations and thrills Ben Cotterill tells All the World about his work with The Salvation Army in India – and how a meeting with an injured biker led to some extraordinary photographs

I

N February 2009 I found myself at London Gatwick Airport, UK, sitting at a departure gate with thoughts and feelings most people would recognise.

‘What on earth am I getting myself into?’ kept going through my mind!

My destination was India, the world’s largest democracy, home to more than one billion people and for the next six months Above: one of Duane Basso’s photographic studies; left: Ben Cotterill with a boy from a Salvation Army project. The boy’s father had died recently

my home too. Having finished an internship at The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters, in the International Projects and Development Services section, I was given the opportunity to work at Catherine Booth Hospital’s community health and development work based in Nagercoil, Southern India.

Nothing can prepare you for India, but perhaps the thing that best encapsulates this extraordinary country is its ability to inspire, frustrate, thrill and confound all at once.

I landed at Trivandrum Airport at four in continued on page 9

JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 7

India

Clockwise from above: Ben (centre) plays in a band at an ‘adolescents health get-together’ attended by 600 girls; passionate prayers at Catherine Booth Hospital chapel; Ben has fun with children in a village while on a project visit; a dance group demonstrates its talent; an impromptu dancing session and adolescent health gettogether, where Ben taught the locals some new moves, much to their delight

8 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

India inspirations, frustrations and thrills continued from page 7

the morning and experienced the most chaotic airport environment I have ever been in as hundreds of people jostled for position to get through passport control, customs and to collect their baggage. I climbed into the Salvation Army minibus that met me to find the airport chaos transferred to the road as cars, rickshaws, motorbikes and people moved around in a mêlée of frenetic, seemingly lawless activity. There appears to be only one rule on Indian roads – you give way to vehicles bigger than your own!

My senses were suddenly alive to the subcontinent’s bamboozling symphony of sights, sounds, tastes and smells. I was dazzled by the colours of beautiful saris worn by the women, the smells of food, and the sounds of syncopated rhythms of Indian music. I’ve been captivated by India since that first day.

India is one of the most diverse nations on earth, with a variety of cultures, languages, ethnic groups and beliefs, home to the super rich and the extremely poor – all of whom are entwined in a rigid caste system. It is on the poor and marginalised that The Salvation Army’s work and development projects are focused.

The projects range from community empowerment, HIV care and support, adolescent health and development to housing and micro-finance.

The Salvation Army works predominantly with Dalit people, traditionally regarded as low caste and perhaps more familiarly

The psychology of living in a developing country is quite interesting. I wondered what people would make of my white face, whether it would bring back bad memories known as ‘untouchables’. I was amazed at to the older generations of British colonial the size and scope of the work. The projects rule. I knew that in the Mumbai bombing I was involved in alone had 10,000 earlier in the year Europeans had been beneficiaries. targeted.

I soon discovered that there can be some But all I experienced was India’s form of order behind the chaos. Indian tremendous ability to make people feel people seem to have an ability to organise welcome. This was equally as true for the large numbers of people, even from remote people from the villages as it was for my areas, with seeming ease. I was even invited fellow Salvationists at Catherine Booth to a wedding as one of the 2,000 guests!

Hospital. I didn’t want special treatment or Of course, India is used to doing things attention but when you stand at least a foot on a big scale – the government has to taller than most Indian men, have ‘strange’ govern more than a billion people and The blonde hair, no moustache and pale skin it’s Salvation Army seems to follow suit. While pretty difficult to go unnoticed! working in health and development In time I became part of a community, a programmes I began to realise that not only workplace and a corps (church) where does the Army have a vital role in helping special treatment wasn’t necessary as I reach the United Nations’s Millennium became good friends with people, sharing Development Goals but also, through its mutual experiences of joy, hardships and health ministry, it can support people with even bereavement together. the often underestimated spiritual battle that On a rare day off work I went to a town accompanies sickness. called Kanyakumari, which is on the From what I saw, The Salvation Army’s southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent, health ministry is saving lives, saving souls, where the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, protecting orphans and and the Bay of Bengal meet. widows and giving hope in It is a popular pilgrimage India is one of many situations. Words are destination for Hindus and also not adequate to describe the most diverse was deeply affected by the 2004 sitting in a widow’s house, her nations on earth Indian Ocean tsunami. I went having to leave the room for a partly as a tourist and also I minute to gather herself as she fights back wanted to see some of the Army’s response tears as she talks of her husband’s death work to that great tragedy. through HIV/Aids. When she came back in In Kanyakumari, a motorcyclist stopped the room she told me she doesn’t fear dying next to me on the side of the road and I could because she knows The Salvation Army will see signs on him and the bike that suggested look after her children. a crash had taken place. I got talking to the I have never been more proud of being a man, only to find he lived just a few miles Salvationist than at that moment, and from my home in east London! wearing the Army’s uniform or colours has continued on page 12 never been the same for me since.

Above: feeding 600 girls at an adolescent health get-together; below: a beneficiary of a Salvation Army project

JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 9

IMAGES BY

Duane Bassoo

‘They have a strength of character and community that puts us to shame’ Ben Cotterill

10 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

The pictures on this spread are of children and adults who are part of different health and development programmes run by The Salvation Army’s India South Eastern Territory, from an HIV/Aids clinic to micro-finance schemes and other poverty-alleviation programmes.

Excellent though these photos are, they are actually digital images used by the photographer as preparation for images, taken using a medium format film camera. An exhibition of these final images is planned for International Headquarters in 2010.

‘I became good friends with people, sharing mutual experiences of joy, hardships and even bereavement together’ Ben Cotterill

JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 11

India

Left: Ben and friends on top of a new house (below left) built by The Salvation Army in Nakanari; above: Ben finds the grave of his great, great-aunt, Brigadier Maggie Leed, in Conoor: bottom: a child from a family helped through a Salvation Army HIV/Aids project

inspirations, frustrations and thrills continued from page 9

I helped him find a hotel so he could recuperate from his bike crash and we talked about our respective purposes for being in India.

The injured biker, Duane Bassoo, turned out to be a photojournalist who was travelling around India in search of scenes that would represent the issues that affect the day-to-day lives of Indians.

I told him about the work I was involved in and he joined up with our team, taking some extraordinary images of the people we were working with. The pictures you see in this issue of All the World are of children and adults who are part of different health and development programmes run by The Salvation Army’s India South Eastern Territory, from an HIV/Aids clinic to microfinance schemes and other poverty alleviation programmes.

All the people featured are poor beyond the understanding of most people in the developed world, yet they have a strength of character and community that puts us to shame. And every person featured in Duane’s pictures is benefiting from The Salvation Army’s stated mission to ‘preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in his name without discrimination’.

I had gone to India to serve as a community health and development worker but I also had a personal mission given to 12 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

me by my grandparents of finding my great, great-aunt’s grave, which no one in the family had visited.

I don’t want to bore readers with a family story but I think this one is worth reading!

In a nutshell, Brigadier Maggie Leed was one of the pioneering officers of The Salvation Army in India. She gave years of service in India and even retired back there after finding her native Scotland too cold!

I discovered that one night her house was burgled and in a resulting scuffle she sustained injuries that led to her death five days later. The suspect was brought to her hospital bedside after having been arrested in Bangalore for the possession of a transistor radio licensed to Auntie Maggie.

She identified the man as the perpetrator but forgave him for what he had done, pleading for a reduced sentence on his behalf – which he received.

After a 14-hour bus ride high into the mountains of Southern India I eventually f o u n d h e r g r a v e i n C o n o o r. M a n y Salvationists in the Kerela region knew of her story and time and time again spoke of their debt to the pioneering officers who brought the gospel and the Army to India.

I didn’t always find it easy living in another country and had to adapt to differing styles of work practices, language and food to name but a few things. But I found in my weakness God seemed to use me more. I guess it’s one of those mind-blowing paradoxes of being a Christian. I actually became stronger and the Bible became the living word on which I relied.

I look back on my time in India with much fondness and gratitude to the India South Eastern Territory for its hospitality and willingness to let me come to serve and to learn.

There are people, even within world health and development schools of thought, who label The Salvation Army and other faith based-organisations as irrelevant and say we take advantage of a vulnerable developing world. I have seen this first hand not to be true. Our health and development work is relevant, significant and provides hope and futures for thousands of people around the world. We should always be proud that we are involved in these arenas.

People who go to Africa speak about their affection for the continent and its people and talk about not being able get the dust off their heels. From what I experienced, and I guess what my great, great-aunt had experienced many years before me, India compels just as strong a feeling – and I can testify that you can’t easily get the dust off your uniform either!

Ben Cotterill currently works for The Salvation Army’s International Health Services, based at International Headquarters

Papua New Guinea

swapping bullets for Bibles In rural Papua New Guinea tribal battles cause terrible loss of life.

These excerpts from a report by Major James Cocker show how The Salvation Army is helping to bring peace in a remarkable way.

F

OR the past two years Captain Michael Hermuno has been sharing the gospel message with about 15 villages in the remote Okapa area of Papua New Guinea – villages that have been fighting against each other for more than 26 years. In Easter 2008 I visited the area and Michael and I started work on the idea of trading Bibles for weapons. I met some of the warlords, shared my personal testimony and encouraged them to try peace – the peace only Christ can give.

I was thrilled to be invited back in October 2009 to celebrate a formalised peace treaty that will change lives.

Over the 26-year conflict, hundreds of men from both tribes were murdered. Years ago, when the war first began, it was with bows and arrows but recent illegal activities had escalated the problem to guns and bullets.

Above: tribesmen re-enact a famous battle

Vliet (The Salvation Army’s Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries in Papua New Guinea respectively) as well as Divisional This led the young mothers of the villages Commander Major David Temine. to begin a desperate practice of their own. In As we flew over the last mountain pass an effort to reduce the fighting forces for we were greeted by a sight that will forever years to come, they chose to smother and remain in my memory. Giant flags hung on kill male children at birth. It was a secret bamboo poles were waving in the breeze. infanticide that was known only by the Never has a lump in my throat been quite as midwives and mothers involved. large as it was at the moment I saw the Even as the men from the villages were Army’s red, yellow and blue flag wafting in dying in their hundreds, the the breeze beside the national women were also burying Hundreds of men and provincial flags. dozens of male babies each from both tribes About 2,000 people were year. waiting for us and as the were murdered While the women grieved helicopter landed you could deeply for their newborns, they believed in already sense their excitement. They were a their hearts that if their babies grew into people anxious to have peace for the first young men, the pain upon their inevitable time in many of their lives. Only a handful death would be even greater. This secret of individuals present had ever known only came to light in the past year, when peace. peace was finally being considered.

We were escorted up a hill to a large field, I flew into the peace ceremony on a to a bush-made grandstand where I was helicopter owned and operated by New warmly and affectionately greeted by a Tribes Mission Aviation. Accompanying me continued on page 14 were Lieut-Colonels Hans and Marja van JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 13

Papua New Guinea Left: a tribesman swaps his gun for a Bible; below: bringing rifles to be destroyed; bottom: a man and his son hand over their rifle

swapping bullets for Bibles continued from page 13

number of people I knew from my previous trip. I was humbled that they remembered me. It was wonderful to be welcomed not as a stranger but as an honoured member of their tribes who was returning.

The ceremony started with a number of village elders providing speeches and welcome gifts. This was followed by a

They were reliving their own involvement in battles that had gone before re-enactment of a key battle. The men of two villages stood facing each other – one side armed with spears and shields and the other with their bows and arrows and guns. For about 10 minutes the guns were fired and the men re-enacted what had consumed their lives for so long.

This was to be their final battle and, while no one would be hurt, the men conducted themselves as if the battle was real. They were not acting out someone else’s events from history, they were reliving their own involvement in battles that had gone before.

Even the women’s wailing was real as they remembered how much blood had been lost.

When the two warring clan chiefs entered they turned to us on the platform and called us to come and stop the killing. We went down from the platform with only a Bible in our hands. Once again we watched as one by one the men asked for a Bible in exchange for a gun.

When the men from each tribe had given speeches and laid their guns on the ground, they received their Pidgin Bible. A Bible message was then given and translated.

Lieut-Colonel van Vliet told the villagers that laying down weapons and items used in sorcery was not enough. ‘You know what 14 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

tribal warfare is all about,’ he said. ‘Many relatives have died.

Leaders, you are making the promise not only in front of us but also in front of God. You must change within your mind, heart and soul.’

He said the new chapter in their lives should be one of love and care for their neighbours. Then two live pigs were presented, one each to the warring tribes as tokens of appreciation for their peace efforts.

One of the most moving moments during the ceremony was when a broken-hearted woman stood and came forward. She said it was the men’s actions that had given them so much pain over the years, and because of their actions they saw no value in raising boys who would only take up arms and bring more destruction.

When the woman had finished, a young father came forward with his eight-year-old son, who was carrying a home-made rifle.

The father pledged that his son would never be allowed to grow up in the same way he had been raised, but that he would have the opportunity to know peace. He took the rifle and placed it on the ground in front of us, starting a pile that was to grow steadily as the hours passed.

Eventually the pile of guns, bows and arrows, shields and sorcery bags was

consumed in a large bonfire. Tribal leaders then announced that their annual allocation of government funds would be distributed to The Salvation Army, New Tribes Mission and Lutheran churches to help erect schools and health centres.

When it was all over, the other members of our team got back in the helicopter to fly the eight miles back over the mountains to where the Misapi Corps (church) and Health Centre is located. I chose to hike the threeand-a-half hours back up the mountains to Misapi with Captain Michael.

It’s amazing that this remote place has no government involvement, no police and no services, but The Salvation Army is there. I pray that the testimony of the officers and soldiers of Misapi Corps will continue to be the glue that holds the peace for years to come.

Major James Cocker is Personnel Secretary for The Salvation Army’s Papua New Guinea Territory

Indonesia

devastatingly simple

by Damaris Frick

D

RIVING from Padang Pariaman, the nearest town to Padang Alai where The Salvation Army in Indonesia is operating, you cannot fail to notice many people with boxes on the roadside holding them out to the passing cars. ‘What do they want?’ I ask Lilian, my translator. ‘Anything,’ she replies, ‘money, food ...’

As I watch I see some of the cars slow down so people can put small parcels of food or some rupiah in the outheld boxes.

‘This has only happened since the earthquake,’ Lilian explains. ‘People are desperate.’

On 30 September an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit West Sumatra, Indonesia. The epicentre is near the area where, just a few days later, The Salvation Army started its relief response.

Another two huge earthquakes triggered landslides, leaving a trail of destruction.

At least 1,119 people lost their lives or have never been found in the rubble. Many more lost their possessions. More than 200,000 houses were damaged or destroyed Above: a child in front of his destroyed home in Padang Pasar Alai; left: a Salvation Army medical team makes its way through the floods

and a total of 2.5 million people have been affected in some way.

Today is Sunday and we watch the slowly moving cars in front of us, including those that carry people who have made

It breaks my heart seeing it but at the same time it makes me angry their way here to hand out little things – and to see the destruction. Some keep within the safety of their nice cars and throw 1,000 Rupiah notes – worth about US$0.10 – onto the road through a small gap in their darkened windows.

Children run and crawl on the ground to pick them up. It is mainly children standing on the sides of the road. But the saddest continued on page 16

JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 15

Indonesia

devastatingly simple continued from page 15

sight for me is the elderly people who stand there too. Frail women and men who deserve a peaceful old age, surrounded by their family members, are now reduced to the humiliation of begging for help or picking up money from the dust and the mud on the side of a road.

It is such a degrading and deeply undignified situation for them. It breaks my heart seeing it but at the same time it makes me angry. People shouldn’t need to do this.

Well-meaning people give what they can, some in a real caring and genuine manner but others in a rather arrogant and patronising way.

The Salvation Army team members I was with spoke to Nur Baini, an old woman from a town called Patamuan. She told us she and a cousin are the only survivors in her family. Her husband, five children and her grandchildren were all killed when their house was swept away by a landslide.

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Seeing these children and especially these old people, I felt like opening my purse and putting everything I had in their boxes. It may have satisfied some people’s hunger for a short while and it would have relieved my conscience – but it would not have changed their lives significantly.

Tomorrow they would be in the same situation – hungry, without shelter and in need of medical assistance.

In Indonesia The Salvation Army operates several hospitals so it seemed natural to use these resources and send medical teams to the affected area. From early October the team members worked hard during the days, dealing with minor injuries that happened due to the earthquake or with health issues caused by the difficult living conditions. At night they moved the medicines and tables to the side

Above left: Salvation Army medical team member Dr Lilian speaks to Nur Baini (centre) who lost her family in a landslide; from top: a home that collapsed in a landslide; Nurse Sintra conducts examinations at a Salvation Army mobile clinic in Batang Piaman; Salvation Army team members Nurse Isur and Dr Bambang treat a wounded child; below left: Damaris Frick distributes food

and slept in the same tent. They washed in the river which was a 15-minute walk away.

Our international team, including me, joined them a short while later. We had to sleep in the tent for only a few nights then we all moved to a team house – which included the ‘luxury’ of a cold bucket shower – a short distance away from our base camp.

As I write, the medical work is still ongoing. The team works in our base camp and in five locations where we provide a

Indonesia

Above left: Salvation Army team members speak to a man who wrote ‘Please help us with a house’ on his tent; above right: two beneficiaries compare treatment; below: a Salvation Army team member looks at what used to be a main road

regular mobile health service. This service will continue for a few more weeks.

The Salvation Army and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) distributed tents or tarpaulins after the earthquake. But these are not long-term solutions. In a few weeks the rain and sun will have ruined most of them. The people are desperate for better accommodation.

‘Please help us with a house,’ one person wrote on the tarpaulin under which his family was sleeping.

The next stage of Salvation Army relief work will include assisting the most vulnerable people to construct a shelter.

Old materials from their houses will be used and we’ll provide whatever new material is necessary along with people to help with the building work.

The first houses won’t be brick houses – nothing fancy, nothing big. But they will be big enough, with two rooms and a separate toilet, to provide safe and dignified living conditions for up to two years.

We worked with village leaders to come

up with a list of the most vulnerable people and then walked from house to house to check out each situation. You could see people’s eyes light up with hope when the Salvation Army team approached.

It is good to be part of an NGO like The Salvation Army and to have the opportunity to operate projects that can bring a significant change in difficult times. The combined little bits of money from individual donors and bigger sums from territories or other donors provide The Salvation Army in Indonesia – assisted by International Emergency Services – the opportunity to do something worthwhile.

Helping Nur Baini and other people like her is not about easing my conscience and making me feel better. In fact it has nothing to do with me at all. To me it is not even about charity or preaching the gospel – it is about justice. These people are our fellow human beings, loved by God and therefore deserving our assistance in an unfair world.

For me it is as simple as that.

Damaris Frick is a member of The Salvation Army’s International Emergencies Services team at International Headquarters

You could see people’s eyes light up with hope when the Salvation Army team approached JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 17

Taiwan

aboriginal people. No one else can buy or own land in these areas. The villagers who live in the shadow of these awesome mountains are poor people – agriculturalists, predominantly Christians, whose families have inhabited these lands for centuries.

the end of the road Typhoon Morakot caused devastation in Taiwan in August 2009, wiping out whole communities and killing more than 500 people. Major Daryl Crowden assisted The Salvation Army in Taiwan as it tried to deal with the aftermath of the typhoon.

Below are extracts from his online blog – used with permission – that show something of the difficulties faced both by the people of Taiwan and The Salvation Army in its efforts to help them.

With one of our vehicles loaded with rice and other food we drove into the forecourt of the village church to be met by a dozen primary school-aged children who were happy for any excuse to put their homework aside, even if it meant unloading boxes of snacks and drinks. Eighty-nine people live in this village, primarily grandparents taking care of children and farms while the mums and dads travel and live in nearby towns to try to get work and income.

They have very little and need our help – and yet these are the lucky people. This time, anyway.

29 September

mountains the road surface became even more of a challenge – it wasn’t there!

After being confined to a number of government office complexes, hotel rooms and vehicles I finally had a chance to get out into the mountains and see some of the people affected by Typhoon Morakot.

30 September

Where there was once a narrow mountain road, now piles of road and rock debris created a muddy, undulating avenue, courtesy of the heavy machinery that had cleared access routes. On the right of our vehicle, high mountains of shale stretched into the sky, still unstable and falling lightly; on the left was a precipitous drop to what had once been a wide, clear river, now guarded by temporary road barriers and string.

The Salvation Army in Taiwan has supplied a number of schools with essential equipment to replace damaged or destroyed materials. The Salvation Army team has also conducted interviews with hundreds of victims of the typhoon and established new partnerships and contacts with government and other community organisations.

It was late afternoon when we left the town and headed into the mountains. It had been raining off and on for two days and the bitumen in town was slick with rain and oil.

But as we travelled higher into the

The river, apparently once wide and clear, had become a collection of narrow streams contained by thousands of tons of fallen mountain debris.

But this is one of the lucky places – there were no houses on the route taken by these landslides. These mountain areas are home to Taiwanese

Yesterday I was welcomed into one of the schools in Tainan like a rock star. It was very embarrassing. Around 250 grade six and seven kids stood and clapped as I entered a school assembly. (That never happened at my school!)

I gave them some of the gifts and then I had to speak. The children were told to listen carefully to someone who would ‘speak the English more proper than your English teacher’. Talk about pressure!

This work can be taxing, it has major frustrations and complications, but the privilege of being part of a person’s life

Above left: a house swept away a landslide; above right: a road comes to a sudden stop; left: Major Daryl Crowden helps unload supplies; next page: Major Crowden presents gifts at a school in Tainan

18 ALL THE WORLD JANUARY–MARCH 2010

Taiwan when they need it the most is so amazingly humbling. To be able to share what I have with those that have lost everything reminds me of what it really means to try and be like Jesus. I have the privilege of doing what I can to rebuild and transform a life, not just physically but spiritually.

1 October Maolin was one of Taiwan’s ‘must-see’ places and was famous for its scenery.

At the end of the road, deep in the mountains and almost at their foot, is the little village of Duona – famous for its hot springs. Today the springs are buried beneath what looks like half a mountain. And yet, miraculously, no one died in this place. The village still stands.

When the typhoon hit Taiwan, more than 2.5 metres of rain fell in two days in this area. Roads around the mountains disappeared, revealing what looks like a wall of solid rock. Bridges that closed gaps over the rivers were swept away and roads just finish in mid-air.

It's hard to describe the scene, and photos don’t do it justice. At one stage we drove on a new ‘road’ alongside the old one. Huge concrete support structures had been swept into the valley hundreds of feet below and houses that were in the way ended up half buried in mud and silt.

THE SALVATION ARMY has completed the following major projects in response to Typhoon Morakot: 1,959 books, 895 uniforms, 1,280 sports uniforms, 1,364 pairs of shoes, 1,276 bags and 1,494 items of stationery were provided to schoolchildren in Tainan County at a cost of about NT$3.1 million (US$99,000).

Water filters and piping were replaced, and a video camera and weighing scales were provided for schools in Kaohsiung County. Projects costs were about NT$1.2 million (US$39,000).

Clothing and equipment were provided for schoolchildren in Chiayi County. These included 208 books, 210 uniforms, 304 sports uniforms, 142 pairs of shoes, 178 bags and 446 sets of stationery. This project was valued at NT$550,000 (US$17,000).

120 assessment interviews were conducted in remote mountain areas in Chiayi. These interviews will make the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the government and other agencies more effective by directing their resources to where they are most needed. This project cost around NT$114,000 (US$3,600) to carry out.

On the way in we asked for directions. A man who we think was serious told us to ‘follow the yellow line down the middle of the road’.

We did, and normally it would have ended in Duona. But now the road ends in mid-air. Just as well we didn't follow it!

In addition to these major projects, numerous other smaller projects included:

Almost two months after the typhoon the villages have been cleaned up and people are getting on with their lives.

1,800 disinfectant packs distributed to homes in Tainan County;

But so much has been lost. For the people of Maolin and Duona their livelihood was tourism but there are few tourists heading this way at the moment. Life has a long way to go before it can be described as ‘normal’.

Major Mike Coleman, commander of The Salvation Army’s Taiwan Region, writes: ‘We are indebted to The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services for expert help and support, and to the overseas personnel – Major Francis Ng, Lieut-Colonel Mike Caffull, Captain Julian Wong and Major Daryl Crowden – who were willing to dedicate several weeks of their busy lives to help the people of Taiwan.’

He adds: ‘Despite the fact that the emergency relief work is over, the rebuilding is not. Indeed, it is just beginning and The Salvation Army is talking to two county governments about longer-term projects including the possibility of managing community care centres.

‘If accepted, the centres will be set up in local communities to provide a place where typhoon victims can go for help. They will offer a range of services including the provision of material aid such as food and clothing, financial counselling, skills training, micro-credit loans and referral to in-depth counselling.’

More than 1,000 hours of cleaning carried out in flood-affected areas and homes; From 15 August until the end of September Salvation Army personnel were assigned full time to providing assistance to Morakot victims; 100 sleeping bags provided for victims and relief workers; Members of Salvation Army corps (churches) personally donated about NT$350,000 to help the victims of Morakot as well as putting in many hours of hard work on the frontline and behind the scenes; Salvation Army personnel spent many hundreds of hours in discussions with village chiefs, school principals, government officials, directors of NGOs and politicians to find the best ways that The Salvation Army can serve the affected communities and promote a coordinated long-term approach.

JANUARY–MARCH 2010 ALL THE WORLD 19

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