“I
am so happy that I can continue my studies,” says Mahdia,
a huge grin spreading across his face. “I can’t
imagine not going to school.”
Twelve year old Mahdia is one of 5,000 young tsunami survivors
in Aceh who have received a Red Cross scholarship, a small allowance
to ensure that they can continue their education.
The Secondary Education Cash Assistance Programme (SECAP) was
established by the Irish Red Cross and the Indonesian Red Cross
(Palang Merah Indonesia – PMI) in January 2006 and provides
funding for secondary school students from low-income families
affected by the tsunami, helping them to complete their studies.
Mahdia and his three younger brothers lost their parents in
the tsunami. Although Mahdia was anxious to keep his family
together, it wasn’t possible and two of his brothers went
to live with relatives. But Mahdia did manage to convince authorities
to let him continue to look after his youngest brother, who
was only seven months old at the time of the tsunami.
The two boys are now living with an ‘adopted’ grandmother
– a kindly old woman who has taken them in and looked
after them.
Every morning, Mahdia wakes early and sets about doing housework.
He then looks after his younger brother, making sure that he
gets dressed and has breakfast. He then gets himself ready for
school.
He always arrives at school early, despite the fact that school
is about six kilometres from his house, a journey that takes
him an hour. Because the roads are so bad, there is no bus for
him to catch and so he has to walk.
“I walk to the school in my bare feet. The road is bad
and I don’t want to wear out my shoes. If it rains all
day and night, then I will not come to school because the path
gets flooded and is dangerous to pass.”
Nurhaliah is the headmaster of Mahdia’s school. “He
is a diligent student,” she says. “I always see
him coming to school early and putting his shoes on at the front
gate. He does not use his shoes when he walks down the mountain
because the family he lives with now is poor and cannot afford
to buy new shoes all the time.”
This is the kind of thing that SECAP funds can be used for,
explains Mukhlis Abdullah, Field Coordinator for the programme.
“The students receive approximately US$250 per year which
is distributed every three months through a local bank,”
he says. “They can use the money to buy things like shoes,
uniforms, books and to meet other expenses without having to
worry about whether or not their family or guardians are able
to afford them.”
But diligent and conscientious Mahdia is sheepish when asked
if he is going to buy new shoes.
“I have bought new a school bag and books,” Mahdia
admits shyly.
This month, 800 students enrolled in the programme will graduate
from high school and will no longer receive the cash assistance
at university level. The SECAP team is currently assessing and
selecting new students to take part in the programme. Three
thousand potential new candidates have already been nominated
by their schools and village leaders.
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Mahdia,
12, is one of 5,000 young tsunami survivors to have received
financial assistance through the Irish Red Cross and Indonesian
Red Cross SECAP programme. “I am so happy that I
can continue my studies,” he says. “I can’t
imagine not going to school.” (p15901)
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Each
student receives about US$250 per year. The money is distributed
every three months through a local bank, and can be used
to buy thinks like books, uniforms and shoes – expenses
that might otherwise stretch the finances of low-income
families and potentially cut short the educational opportunities
for many of these children. (p15905)
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| The
Secondary Education Cash Assistance Programme (SECAP)
was established by the Irish Red Cross and the Indonesian
Red Cross (PMI) in January 2006 and provides funding for
secondary school students from low-income families affected
by the tsunami, helping them to complete their studies.(p15907) |
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