My Blog

We will report our last condition in Bantul and in Klaten.

Now we’re in the 6^th month after the quake, we passed the emergency condition, we passed the mentality support condition, but we’re not passing the normal life yet.

Today, everything better than 6 months ago, but to say they are life in their normal life, is far from it.

As we said in our last report (3 months ago) we tried to help them only in small circle, we tried as best as we could. But sometime or many times plan didn’t work as well as it self.

Here they are

Mangunjayan and Kebon Ndalem Klaten.

We did the brick project in here… and so far so good. Families around were need brick to build their new house, so every single brick they made was selling in good price, sounds good eh?

Every day new order coming, more bricks need more workers, so they start growing bigger than first time. That’s good for them; they can earn money from their hard work. Starting with one family now become three families who did this brick project.

This program can save them for a moment, they can earn enough money to survive and rise step by step, but we realize, they cant do this forever… someday they cant collect free ruin as a main material. So we have to change to another project for them, or we can do this project still but in the different system and management.

We’ve to train them in a professional management if they want to survive and developing their ‘home industry’.

We try on it still… there were many idea of it but we’ve to choose the perfect one for them… or you have any idea? We really mean it…

Hope we can help them still, until they back to their normal life…

That’s a little sweet story from Klaten… our program worked there, not as best as we though, but they can make it…

Now we moved to Bantul… we have 3 villages there… (Canden, Translokal and Karang Tengah).

In Canden, after we finished built the kindergarten; we start to make another bamboo project and farming (corn and peanut project).

In bamboo project we trained 8 villagers to be a good bamboo craftman and builder, and we hope they can train other villagers after it.

We have not enough time and money to train every villager in Canden, so we done it in a small circle (that’s what I meant)

So far so good, they can make bamboo furniture, building a bamboo house, buy then sell the bamboo and earn money from it. Step by step they can raise their self to a normal condition (working, earn money, build their own house, buy something they need). They also can help other villagers, not only in bamboo project but also in other way. I mean, not every people in Canden interest to be a bamboo craftsman or builder, some people interest and expert in other things, like barber, but they have no idea to start with, they have no capital. So this people or community can borrow money as capital from bamboo community to make it real. But they have to responsible with this money, it’s not a gift… they have to pay back the money after they can earn profit from their new barber shop, then the first capital can be used by other people or communities to make another project.

Ok, next…

In corn project, we do it not too different from bamboo project. We just pick small circle to do this. Its impossible to gift seed and fertilizer to every farmer.

So we do it as a sample project, why we called sample? Because we did it with different system and different fertilizer as they usual did.

As a farmer, of course they know how to farm corn, but we do it a bit different ;o) not much, just to make it more simple, efficient and effective; we also use a new fertilizer for it.

Our plans are pick a small circle (5-6 people) to do this project, rent the farmland, buy the seed and fertilizer, and paid villagers as workers.

So, they not too worry about capital and income. The land master can earn money from rented land, the villagers can earn money as workers, and they get seed and fertilizer for free.

With this system we not only plan corns but also peanut in the same farmland, so they can take corn and peanut harvest. Hmm… quite effective, don’t ya?

Then after 3 month (harvest coming) we cant sell the corn to fertilizer company in good price (this company also want to help them, by buying the corn in a good price). The profit, we can use for continuing this project and enlarger to another farmland. Not only that, with this profit they can buy their own seed and fertilizer for next step. They also paid their self as farmers.

Day 60 after planting, everything going to be alright…but then one problem coming, water!

We have no water there… river, wellspring just dry… and rain not coming yet…

Damn! So hard to face this condition… we tried to take water from another wellspring by water pump, it’s not cheap to do this… we have to spend extra money, to save the harvest.

Lucky we are, we have a bit extra money to do this… but for other farmers?

…

One by one farmland around us just dried and died, they cant save their harvest… they have no extra money to take water from far wellspring. I cant take my eyes off them, but I can do nothing… our money just enough for our farmland… Damn! How poor I am!!

We see nothing but died farmland around… only 20 days before harvest…

Sad but true…

Day 82, rain come… our first rain, not much but quite enough to wet our land…

It just around a week before harvest… thanks God, but we cant forget our farmland neighborhood, they’re just gone…

Day 87, 3 day before harvest… bad news! Half of our corns were stolen!!

Yes, stolen… gone!! So bad!

We’re angry to hear that, but then we realize this condition… no one except us get harvest this time… everyone who work as a farmer was disappoint, sad, hopeless and the important thing is they have no money to fed their families.

Maybe they’re not thief in the normal condition, but this time is a hard time for everyone here… I am sure about that, if they’re real thief, they must be steal all the corns, not just half of them… but they leave a half harvest for us, (actually) they know that we need this harvest also..

I hope what they’re taken from us will useful for them…

We know you my brothers; we know your condition as well as I know my self… we really sorry cant help you at time you need us… we’re so sorry my brothers…

day 91, corn harvest… finally we get out harvest, not as much as we though, but quite enough to take our capital back, so we can buy seed for next plant season, but next week we will get peanut harvest, maybe we can get profit from it…

So, we need more hard working to make our plan come true. Keep fighting brothers!

That the story from Canden, Bantul.

We moved to another village, Translokal Imogiri

Remember, we do same project in here… the corn project… same plan and system used here.

For the result? Better? Worst?

Totally worst…failed…unthinkable…and so on…

So sad to hear, actually its hard to write it down…but I tried to report in…

Translokal the village up hill, people living in the poor condition, work as a rain farmer, becoming a free labor in dry season, hard to get water and pay more for it.

In this dry season we try to give them chance to be a farmer still. We take a new fertilizer which is can save the water inside, so we used less water to plant.

Same system as in Canden, we rent a farmland, paid the workers, and give them free seed and fertilizer. But in here we put extra money to buy water..

We choose family who want to be a workers (a real hard workers) and responsible with their harvest. We rent land from family who really need money to build their house because they have nothing left. After we found this people we start to work.

Before that we also count, how much water we need for 3 months to watering the corn. Can we still get profit after we spent all this..? After calculating all, the result is we get profit still… it mean, when farmer here do farming in the dry season, they have to pay more for water, but they can get the profit still. So we can do this sample project. We hope we did it as well as the plan.

We do 2 weeks after corn project starting in Canden.

30 days after, they growing well… more then corn plant in Canden, they grow bigger then usual. The fetilizerman (the mentor from Fertilizer Company) said, actually this farmland rich of mineral and vitamin for plant, still pure and health as a ground, good for any plant…

hmmm..maybe, I know not bout plant and land…

Day 50, still under control… the farmer doing well, they take care of the corn so good, take the water from waterworks then fed the plant three times a week.

In this village, to get the water is more difficult. They have to pay to the company (I though is a government company) for the fuel. Fuel? Yup!

They have to pump water from wellspring hill down then save in waterworks on the top of the hill. There are two waterworks in top of the hill for 100 families (now, maybe more because village hill down also take water from this waterworks).

Government said they can use this waterworks for free, but they have to pay the fuel to operate the pump machine by their self. So far they do collecting money from each family who use water from waterworks.

Ok, and then something bad happen…

In day 55, one of the waterworks was broken! All the water inside just gone…

Then we knew we were in trouble… a serious trouble…

Now, not only water for plant that we need but also water for living… one waterworks its not enough for all the people…

To fix the waterworks needs a lot of money; we don’t have money as much as it need…

It should be government job and responsibility… so, we just go there, reporting all, then wait and see what will happen… they (government) promise to fix it as soon as possible..

One day, one week, one month, and till this report written government do nothing… (hello, Mr. and Mrs. government…where’re u? what are u doing?)

Then, people up there have to survive with a bit of water… they have to share the rest of water from the last waterworks with the others, water only enough for their primary consumption, sometime they cant take a bath in order to economical the water.

2 weeks after, all the plants were gone… we loose the harvest… we’re just need bit of water, less than usual, but even less we need it still… when we got no water, we will get nothing…

But it’s impossible to take water from the last waterworks; people need it more than the corn… no choice nor chance for us… even to save the harvest, it was matchless with water for living…

Sad song from people here still heard…

That’s all our last 3 months report.

And now I try to describe our newest condition.

This time, everyone in Bantul and Klaten are busy building their new house. The reconstruction money (from reconstruction program) is coming from our government. Not as much as government was promised before but quite enough to build a new quake resistant house… (Even with no walls…hehehe… gotcha government!!)

As far as I know this reconstruction money will given in two terms, first 40% then 60%. With this money they have to build a new house with a standard quality which was sured by the government. It’s a permanent house which is made from brick and cement.

The detail for the standard quality is including the making of foundation from stone and iron bone, also a safety construction of roof and wall… wall? Sorry wall is not including in…

Funny eh? This money is not including building their walls, windows, and doors. Mean, they have to build their walls, windows and doors with own money, or they can use the doors, windows and brick from their ruin… damn you government! All money you took from us was not enough?

Hehe… (Ironic laugh) that’s not all…

Before they get their money to rebuild, first government decide and choose the families who really need new house (they have their own standard assumption of it). Then the chosen families have to make small communities between them, named ‘pokmas’ or ‘kelompok masyarakat’. 12 or 13 families in each community or group, then they have to choose the first seven of the most family who need a house. So not every single person who’re joined in this ‘pokmas’ can build new house at this time, only seven of them.

What about the rest? Government said, next year… February, 2007…they will get their new house. (ja..ja.. maybe, maybe more, maybe never…)

What do you think about that?

Next… these seven families will get 40% of 14.5 million, its around 5.8 million rupiah to make their first step house building. This money will be used to build bottom and middle part of house (foundation with iron bone and stone, slot, column and ring balk) and pay the workers.

And must be finish 2 weeks after they get the money…hmm… possible, if it is built by 5 men or more, but funny, in the government calculation this building will be built by 3 workers and will finish in a week…impossible for sure! (even they work like a slave, more than 18 hours)…why they need more workers and more days? Because they not only built the foundation, but also built the wall and placed the doors and windows even they paid these things with their own money…

Who want to live in a house without walls, doors and windows?

I don’t know where they (the government) got this dumb calculation…did you ever heard the legend of Prambanan, a thousand temples which were built only in one night? Maybe government uses this calculation for their blue print.

Silly…

In fact, they used 5-8 workers including their self to build all of this in 2 weeks, so they have to pay extra for 2-4 additional workers and pay for second week with their own money…(don’t forget they need to buy an additional cement for walls, possible to buy bricks and woods for doors and windows also)

And after finish with that, they have to make report sheet and reporting to the government what they’ve done…(good idea, so every family use their money to build their house, not to buy a new motorcycle or freezer box…hehehe…)

When government finishes with those reports, the second term will be given, its around 8.7 million rupiah. Its used to build the top part of the house (roof and friends) hihihi…

Ah, almost left… This project is full controlled by government, including the control quality.

That’s good as long as they keep controlling of course… keep watching dude! Don’t be lazy…

So, all my friends… that all my story about our neighbors and our brothers…

This time I want to say special thanks for Eva, all her friends and her school in

Holland

. You tried hard to help us… and you gave us a new knowledge for our kindergarten…that’s very useful.

I wish you here to see what’s going on in our new kindergarten…

Keep fighting with us ja… danke (oops!)

And thanks to every one who gives their hands into this, we really appreciate it… without you we are nothing…

All of you got sweet greeting from people in Bantul and Klaten…

They said,

“Whenever you come you will always welcome… our houses also yours, our foods also yours, our happiness also yours…”

Thank you so much

so finally,We need your support and help still.

We will send you report continuity what we’ve done.

If you want to help but you can’t find the way yet

If you interest with us to help them

You can donate into

For money transfer

AGRA

AGHASA

BCA KCU

YOGYAKARTA

No Rek: 0372502051

For Supplies and Help Address

AGRA AGHASA

PERUM.PAMUNGKAS B.9

JL. KALIURANG KM. 14

YOGYAKARTA

55584

INDONESIA

And we have a long term program for recovery and re-healing trauma for children. We need volunteers to make this program working.

You can contact us to get more information about this long term program.

PS:

Please forward this message to all of your friends, families, relatives and relations

Agra ‘akira’ Aghasa

081-726-7668

Takahiro”turbo” Saito

081-338-093-984

Posted in Weblogs | 1 Comment »

wise wizard

September 4th, 2006 by artgralife

Dear there,

We back again to report our last condition…

So sorry, my last report should be posted in august 27, but because one and more thing I just can posting now…

Now, I write this newest diary and put my august 27 diary also…

Today, august 27^th, 3 month after quake…

3 month we try to bring their dream back, back to their normal life…

That’s our dream…

Dreaming to make another dream come true…

Here they are..

Canden, Imogori Bantul

After working for 2 weeks, finally we finish building kinder garden (KG) in Canden.

In our plan, we can finish it only in 5 days, but something happen during we build this KG.

first of ‘some thing’

One man of government employ said that we build this KG as a profit project, so all villagers who involve in this project should be paid… (I don’t believe if God gave him brain!)

Second, because this project is profit pro, we can’t use any material from ruin (kind of woods, windows, doors and roof). If we want still, we have to buy it…

3^rd, in village meeting, some people say “who are you people? What do you want? Why you help us too much? What kind of profit you will get with all of this?”

Because of this ‘thing’ we can finish our project on time…

And because of this ‘thing’ family war almost happen also…

But most villagers are in our side, and trust with us because they know who we are and what we’ve done. So we still do our project, and take materials from ruin which are we can use still. And thanks God we did it…

Then like our plan before, after we finish with KG we continue with bamboo furniture and handicraft. So, for 4 days we make a workshop for this.

All people, at most young man really interest with this workshop, but we realize that we cannot train all of them only in 4 days, and we don’t have much money to facilitate all guys in village. Then we pick 8 men to involve in this workshop, with all facility we have (tools, materials and mentors) they are trained well, we hope they can be leaders and trainers in their village.

Notes: we find the buyer already, so after they finish their workshop and start their own production, they can sell it and have a profit from there.

Kebon nDalem, Klaten

In this village we do another project, the brick project.

Because we don’t have a lot of money to make a house project (1 house like kinder garden we spent around Rp. 22.000.000 or $2392) we try to help then in other side.

We cannot help and support each family in each village. We cannot build example house in each village also. With this condition, we try to find the best way we can.

Right now, people out there start to forget Bantul and what happen in there. No news about Bantul in international news paper or another media. Many people start thinking their own life. Donations and supports are coming less than before, and can be stopped anytime…for sure (like Joanna always said… “for sure!” hehehe..)

We realize that, we know that we can’t hang with that, hope too much with that.

If we want to help still, we have to find new way of it.

We thanks to people who care with Bantul and around still, and we promise to you to use your donation as best as we can, as long as it used.

Right now, we will support and help people in small circle; we start and focus on small point, then wider and wider…

Our small point is home industry and farming.

We support people who want to be a millionaire.. (hehe just kidding)

We support people who really want to get out from this condition with work hard.

If they have skill and experience in handicraft or producing something we help them.

If they have farm and want to increase their harvest we help them

If they have nothing but want to learn something and work hard into it, we choose them

Our idea is we have to make work field as much as we can, so people can earn their own money and start rising again.

We don’t have a lot of money; we have to start with small point, small area, small community and small money.

In Mangunjayan we start it. We choose one family who has nothing but spirit. We offer them an idea to make a brick (we called ‘batako’) and sell it.

This batako made from cement, sand and wall ruins and brickbat.

It is not to hard to learn how to make, but needing more energy to do it, because we will do it in manual way.

We give them tools and materials (cement and sand) enough to make around 400 batako.

And they can use their ruin for free..

Cement, sand and ruins (crushing until small enough to mix) mixed with water, and then put the batter into iron brick printer, closed the brick printer with steel plat, pressed by hammer ‘knocking’. Open the printer and you have brand new batako! Let them dry and you are ready to build a house… easy huh?

So, they can sell their batako for profit and they not confuse where they put all the ruin anymore. And at this time, many people and company need batako to build their house, office, workshop and other building. Sexy business eh?

Later, we will do it in other villages. Mangunjayan, Klaten and Pleret, Imogiri Bantul

For information, we not do this for free… mean, we not only give the tools and materials for free… they owe to us, they have to pay back our money. Hehe… but we have no profit with your money sire. We never think donation money will be used for business and have profit with it. We do this because we want to optimize our donation. We want to help people as much as we can.

If they pay back their dept, we can make at least same project with another, plus, when they realize they have to pay the money back, they have more responsibility to do their work.

Humm… that’s business still. So next day we will be a depth collector… hehe…

September 3rd

Translokal, Imogiri Bantul

In here we want to build earthquake proof house as example also, we want to build a mosque with bamboo construction, but we have not enough money to do it. Actually we have it, but if we do building the mosque we have no money left. It mean, the day we finish building mosque, is our last day.

And after that, people there need food and other living cost still…

We decided, pending this project for a moment. We have to do another project which is more necessary and use full.

Same as in Kebon nDalem, we want to make some ‘business’ here, but we have to find the prefect thing to do business.

I ever told a story about Translokal before, in this village farmer cannot farm their land in dry season. They have not enough water for their harvest. Water’s supplied from river down hill by pump and only for living. If they do farming in dry season they have to pay more for additional water, but it’s too expensive, plants need a lot of water right? So they choose to find another job in dry season.

What we can do with this situation? Now, is a dry season, usually they go down hill finding some job to earn money, this time no job they can do, but they’ve to survive still. Only, farming they can do, and we know nothing about farming.

So, we have to find someone who expert in farming and ask them to help find the answer…

Middle of August,

It was dark and cloudy night, freezing wind flow throughout on a small street, with the torch fire we were walking across the night, finds a small house in the middle of forest.

Legend said, there was a wise wizard who do a miracle, grab the sand but throw a fruit.

He lives in the middle of black forest with his double headed snake as a guard…

Ah..too long..!! ok, in the end of story, they life happy ever after…hehehe..

Shortly, we find this guy, this wise wizard, he has a fertilizer factory, an organic fertilizer…

We start telling our condition, from A-Z, and he want to help us.

he make a land research in Translokal, and find a good answer, he said this land is good and very health, natural and full vitamins for plant… the only problem is just water.

So, they need fertilizer who can help save and keep the water longer than the plan it self. And he know what kind of fertilizer it is.. his fertilizer! (ya..ya.. of course seller saying gold)

But, we have to try any way and any possibility…

For first step, he will help supplies the fertilizer for free, plus he and his men will help people in Translokal farming with new method, the most effective and efficient, also to keep the land heath. No chemistry, no poison, no a lot of water!

With this fertilizer, they can safe water more than 2/3…

And as example project we plant corn. Why corn? They made fertilizer from corn.

Mean we can sell it back to the factory after harvest moon.

We buy seeds and fertilizers from them, plant it, and then sell it back as a profit!

Damn! That’s so simple… I just think to be a farmer someday…

Just like in other villages, we can do it in all farmland with all farmer involve, we choose one of them, to do this project, and then after harvest moon we will do it more.

Same as in Kebon nDalem, they have to pay back the money also, but this time in a different way.

We rent a land for 3x harvest moon (someone who chosen as worker), we buy seeds (fertilizer free now), and pay the landlord as worker to plant and keep it life until harvest moon.

So, this farmer has 2 incomes, money from rented land and paid as a worker.

Money from harvest will use to buy seeds and make another corn project in Translokal.

After 3x harvest, this farmer can this by them self (we hope, but we still controlling and mentoring also)

Additional information, in Kompas (Indonesian news paper) I was read news about corn. They said world market needs more corn, corn are used for food industries and chemical industries (like ethane). And this time, the ethane (etana) factory increase faster then food factory, 30% of corn production now processing in ethane factory, maybe 2 or 3 years after, becomes 50%. World needs ethane as alternate energy, means need more corn too. And many country changes from corn exporter become corn importer. So, if you really interest do business, start plant a corn…!!

*(for Kompas: can I have more information about that? I really mean it)

And what about children?

Yup! We also do children program, and until now we have 59 point of children base, children post, children health care.

In cooperate with 5 children non profit organization we do our program to care our future.

Besides continuing our basic program, we try to find new programs

And our last programs are:

- make a mobile library for children

- knowing their own traditional art

For mobile library, we tried to collect books for children, with Javanese text, Indonesian text, and bilingual text (English and

Indonesia

). Until now we can collect around 750 books with 350 kinds.

We realize that children have to read to increase their knowledge, with this idea, we make library program. But if build a library in every point of children base it takes a lot of money, time and manpower. So we make mobile library to solve it. Less money, less time and less manpower.

One of our friends shares his car to make this library. Then we start collecting children books.

All way we try to collect these books, from our own, from book factory, from book store, buying, borrowing, stealing, robbing… ups!

And this library will launch in early September…

For traditional art, we do teaching drawing, painting, batik, and traditional dancing. Of course I can’t do traditional dancing, hehe.. but I like to watch the teachers…hehehe…

We also bring children in ‘gerabah’ workshop, to learn how to make glass, pots, bowl, etc.

Hehe.. That so fun! Can you imagine 5 years old kid try to make pot with traditional tools?

The newest formula of stress treatment

Kids + Clay + Waters + Clean clothes… huehehe… and the end ‘CLAY WAR’

35 kids just like Rambo and Commando in Platoon

And I will tell all the story about children in my special diary, next…

Our next diary:

- Brick / batako program in Mangunjayan Klaten and Karang Tengah, Imogiri

- Corn Program in Canden, Bantul

- Public toilet in Translokal, Bantul

Special edition:

- Children story

so finally,We need your support and help still.

We will send you report continuity what we’ve done.

If you want to help but you can’t find the way yet

If you interest with us to help them

You can donate into

For money transfer

AGRA

AGHASA

BCA KCU

YOGYAKARTA

No Rek: 0372502051

For Supplies and Help Address

AGRA

AGHASA

PERUM.PAMUNGKAS B.9

JL. KALIURANG KM.14

YOGYAKARTA

55584

INDONESIA

PS:

Please forward this message to all of your friends, families, relatives and relations

Agra

“akira” Aghasa

081-726-7668

Takahiro”turbo” Saito

081-338-093-984

http://artgralife.blogs.friendster.com/my blog/

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

children power

July 25th, 2006 by artgralife

Hi there…

We back again, to reporting our last condition, our progress, and our villages…

I hope you have time to read this, and forward our reply to all of your friends, families, relatives and relations…

But first, we want to say sorry to people and families who died and injured because of Tsunami in south of Java.

Our scar dried yet, another disaster coming… its hurt everyone feeling. No one wants in this situation, but we’re trapped already.

We hope we can help them, take care of them, and give our hands… but we realize we can’t do all things in same time.

We just hope, there will someone, some people, a lot of people who help them, care about them and give their hands to them… we hope so…

I and all my friends who involve into this project learned much from this

We don’t know how to escape from it, but we have to survive…

We back to our nature, to help each other to save our future.

Well, we start our report

In my last report, we just happy when Turbo coming, means we have our engine back.

Turbo not only help us to do our project, but also he does his film! Humm.. Turbo is an actor…how come?

My company ‘fourcolours films’ wants to make our second film about earthquake.

Our first film ‘Nyanyian dari Surga’ (song from heaven) was taken in June 7-9, and now we make another.

In this movie, we need 2 Japanese guys, and Turbo was chosen to be an actor…

Believe or not, he is a good actor! Hehehe… not kidding

We do our shooting in 3 days, July 14, 15 and 16

During shooting, another team prepare for house program and children program.

Then, in July 16, Kingkong lead people in village to build kinder garden in Canden, Bantul. We build a bamboo house, with knowledge from bamboo foundation workshop as a basic construction.

We learn how to choose the bamboo, cleaning, processing, cutting and constructing. So we can build a perfect house with bamboo.

But we find it is not easy to make a bamboo house which is really strong, good quality, quake proof and perfect cut. If we make a perfect bamboo house it cost very expensive (around 30 million rupiah for 5 x 16m house). We have to choose a perfect bamboo, processing with modern tools, cutting with circle saw machine and else.

We know it will useless if we want to share this knowledge.

People in village have no money to buy perfect bamboo, modern tools and chemical preservative. So we have to make little adjustment with this condition.

We have to make a strong bamboo house but we build with the cheapest way. We start to collect information about this adjustment.

Finally, we find the new formula to build it, and we can build a strong house with cheapest way. We not only mix a modern and the traditional way, but also we mix the materials and how to process the bamboo.

And to share our knowledge to the villager, we build a public building like mosque, school, meeting house, koperasi, market, etc. In this case we build kinder garden, because we heard by our self, government at this time only support for elementary school, junior and senior high school as first priority.

Kingkong and his friends are mentoring people in village. Start from how to choose bamboo, how to cut, clean, and preserve. Then learn how to assemble, constructing, make foundation and finishing. So, they can learn how to make a good construction of bamboo house.

After finish make the KG, we also mentoring them to learn how to make furniture and handicraft from bamboo. We hope with this knowledge, people in village can increase their income by made and sell their handicraft and furniture.

Kingkong also meet an exporter company and make a deal already. This company wants help people in village by selling their product.

Together with people from Bamboo Company we make workshop for people in Canden, teach and mentoring them to make a good quality of bamboo furniture and handicraft.

All young man enthusiastically joins in this workshop. Canden village head also support this project, he and his koperasi staff promise to support and help in financial investment, market web, workshop n store. Great!!!

Turbo back to Ubud in July 17, hmm… when you back again? We need more engine sire!

So, we already split in three teams.

Kingkong do village project

Me do children and mother project

Yono do documentary project

We give mother a little packet; I don’t know how to say this packet but we know it’s useful.

Each packet contains:

10 needles

10 nail needles

5 threads

10 buttons

8 couple buttons

1 scissor

1 nails scissor

And we put in into small cute bag… humm.. Actually this not my idea, its my mom idea..

Thanks Mom…

We make 400 packets for first supply, and we will make 400 more…

In children and mother project, we do supply stationery for children and make a reconditioning program. We collaborate n in cooperate with KUBA, GJB (Gerakan Jogja Bangkit), Kampung Bocah, and Anak Ceria.

Many volunteers involved into this project,

Teguh (kinder garden teacher, independent children activist)

Wani Dharmawan (actor, founder of GJB children division)

Kak Wees (children story teller)

Ruli (children activist in KUBA)

Diah (children activist in Anak Ceria)

Danang (children activist in Kampung Bocah)

Nunuk, prof (children psychiater, lector)

Very impressive, they do in the different way but one mission. From the first meet, they are so welcome, nice, warm full, wide open, and creative!

We share about ideas; plans, programs, any information and anything happen with children. And we agree to help each other about our mission to save children.

We start our together work in July 23, in Children Day.

We want to make party and activity for children in that day, but we don’t want to be like Santa Claus who give present or gift only for one night. That day only starting day for our long term program to reconditioning children. So, we decide to make just a simple party, cheap but still fun, but after that we have to make a continuous program.

We meet, and keep contact every day, to prepare it

Do collect more volunteers, more donations; make charity night, selling something, make a contact to people who want and possible to help, all anything we do to make this project

After around 5 days preparation we ready to do this…

We split into 3 teams, in to 3 big areas.

- Pundong point (900 kids, from 17 dusun)

- Kasongan point(300 kids, from 5 dusun)

- Imogiri point (400 kids from 5 dusun)

We do it in 27 dusun, and 12 villages, with around 1600 children involved in this program.

Me, involve into

Pundong

Village

, with 17 dusun and 900 children, this is my biggest party with children…!!!

July 23, Pundong government park.

Start at 7 in the morning, Kak Wees tells a story about children struggling. He do very good, funny, impressive and attractive… he successful to entertain 900 children.

We make them into smaller groups, they start playing with them. We do some traditional games.

We also do singing and dancing together, make sport with another group, and do a lot of games.

They are spirit full, joyful, and in happiness…

We can see they are smiling, laughing, no think about fear and trauma…

That what we need now, their smile, their happiness and their new hope…

At 10, we continue with drawing together… we drop a lot of paper and crayon to share.

We finish in 11.15

It’s to hot, to do in exterior, so we just finish when sun burn us…

Quiet tired but fun…so fun!

In another point, they feel same…

After finish and make our report we just rest and start to think what we will do next!

This day is our starting point and its work well…

All of children are happy, all parents feel good, all of us? Speechless…

So amazing! Unbelievable, unforgotten experience…!!

Thanks to everyone who give their hands to this… God Bless you all

We are not only mentoring children activity, but also try to find children who have trauma about quake. Thanks to UGM lectures, graduates and students who give their hands to help re-healing children trauma.

Our future depends in our children, so we have to help them to rise again…

RISE AGAIN LITTLE FIGHTER…!!!

Our next program

- save our tradition

- save our culture

- save our nature

Support and help them still…

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

How much money we need?

Do you think you don’t have money to donate?

Or you feel your money is not big enough for donation?

We don’t need as much as you think…

Please count your breakfast cost, your cigarettes, your perfumes, your beers, parking fee, coffee break, theater tickets,

Rp. 10.000 = 1 Euro = 1, 1 USD = 125 Yen = 200 Won

What we get with this?

2 packets for children activities

Each packet contains:

2 drawing books

1 pencil

1 crayon box

1 eraser

It can be using for 2 weeks, maybe more

2 packets for mother

Each packet contains:

10 needles

10 nail needles

5 threads

10 buttons

8 couple buttons

1 scissor

1 nails scissor

It can be used for 2 months, and more for sure!

1 packet red onion and chili seed for 5 x 6 m farmland

If you plant this seed, harvest, and sell… This can feed a family for 3 months

2 weeks clean water supply for a family

1 big bunch of mendong grass.

It employs one man/woman for 10 days, to make 2 big sleeping mattresses (1, 8 x 2, 2 m)

So, don’t ever think how much money you give… it will useful for them…

so finally,We need your support and help still.

We will send you report continuity what we’ve done.

If you want to help but you can’t find the way yet

If you interest with us to help them

You can donate into

For money transfer

AGRA

AGHASA

BCA KCU

YOGYAKARTA

No Rek: 0372502051

For Supplies and Help Address

AGRA

AGHASA

PERUM.PAMUNGKAS B.9

JL. KALIURANG KM.14

YOGYAKARTA

55584

INDONESIA

And we have a long term program for recovery and re-healing trauma for children. We need volunteers to make this program working.

You can contact us to get more information about this long term program.

PS:

Please forward this message to all of your friends, families, relatives and relations

Agra

“akira” Aghasa

081-726-7668

Takahiro”turbo” Saito

081-338-093-984

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

our big family

July 12th, 2006 by artgralife

Dear,

So sorry for my late report

This last 2 weeks was very busy time. We have to arrange appointment with many people, community, organization and company.

And it’s hard to do daily report, so we just wait until have spare time to do this diary.

So, forgive us if it’s not a daily report… but we will try our best, reporting our works and plans.

Ok let’s go…

In my last report, we did with school packet, n its work… so we want this more.

This time not only stationery packet, but also program for rehabilitee and recondition.

We met Ruli (children organization) already; introduce our planning for children program.

And we also found forgotten village (Bubutan, Imogiri).

So, we did one by one, first, we have to help the forgotten village. We supplied them stationeries for children (only this thing we have). We realize it’s not a perfect help, but we only make them trust with us. Trust we will help them always, we will come back to help, just like we did in Numpukan, Imogiri when we bring 30 sandals in first coming.

And for 5 days after we always visiting our villages, ask what they need, what we can do, and find villages potential. We also find more information about building house for families. It’s impossible for them to live in tent forever.

We try to find all information about it. We spare in two teams, half find information about people condition, rest find house designs.

In people condition we found:

- Many people (most children) get ill after they live in tent for a long time.

- They need a house (at least semi permanent)

- They still afraid building their house

- They don’t have much money to build a house

- They only have house materials from their ruin

- They don’t know how to build quake resistant house

After spent more than 4 days, we found around 5 house designs in different materials and way to build.

In design we found:

- design house from bamboo (temporary)

- design house from bamboo and wood (semi permanent)

- design house from bamboo and wood (permanent)

- design house from brick and wood (permanent)

- design house from brick (permanent)

Now we know what we need, basic on village condition we choose design house from bamboo and wood (semi permanent).

It’s easy to find bamboo trees in here, and cheap. Bamboo can be so strong and flexible also, so its perfect choose to build house from bamboo.

But it’s impossible for us to build all houses in 4 villages. So our idea is, we will make one public building in each village as example, and all people village has to involve in this project so they will know how to make it. Then slowly but sure we help people building their own house as far as we can do.

Turbo, Kingkong, Yono, Santi and I start looking for the best design of bamboo house. In Ubud, Bali Joanna and Ade also help us collecting the information about bamboo house…

Finally, June 29, we can involve in bamboo workshop from Bamboo Foundation in Bantul.

But in same day, Turbo has to leave us; he had to go to

Bali

to do his own work.

But he said, he helps us still, support and find another donator…

See you again samurai… we will meet again!

After say Sayonara to Turbo, We (Seno, Kingkong and I) go the workshop. In this workshop we learn how to make a very good, strong n beautiful bamboo house.

how lucky we are…thanks Jo..

Quiet hard; starting a day without him, he is our engine, motivator and our decision maker… but he said, I have to learn to organize this, to make a decision, and reporting all we’ve done.

Ok..ok.. I’ll do that…. Welcome headache! Hehehe..

But I heard good news, Joanna will coming next day with her sister.

So we got more power to do this… hehehe, I am not alone

Next day, Joanna and Ely arrived Jogja. From airport we (Seno, Joanna, Ely and I) go to Santi office to take the medicine and vitamins. Someone supplied us it.

After we take medicine, we go to Tembi, Bantul to see 2^nd day of bamboo workshop. We meet Kingkong still learning how to make the house.

Same day, we go to Canden, Bantul to supply stationery packet. We also heard information about destroyed school over there. We find 2 kinder gardens destroyed, around 100 children studying in temporary tent. We collect information from their teacher about help and aid which coming already. Teacher said only received milk one times from UNICEF, nothing else.

Once again sad story coming… 2 destroyed kinder gardens, 1 teacher die, 2 students die, 98 left without school, chair, table and kids tools.

They already sent letter to government, but no reply, still.

No future for their next school year, teachers and parents have no idea about it, they just ‘pasrah’ (it’s up to God and what God will do). So, we found the basic level of education was cut.

Are we just ‘pasrah’ also? NEVER!! We have to find way to save our children; even it will be a mission impossible. But I’m sure with all my friends beside me and with your support we can do something to make children dream come true.

With Joanna n Ely we discuss about it, and decide we have to help this school as first priority. We will calculate how much the school building cost.

July 1.

We make medicine and vitamin packet for our village; we do same as stationary packet.

Make this packet for each family. Almost half day we do assembling this packet in Seno house. During assembling we discuss about long term program. We think, this is the perfect time to start our long term program, help them rise again, back to their normal life.

We discuss any possibility way to help them. Start with supply seeds and fertilizer, farming, drainage, kind of plants and animals, until possibility to make our village as a handicraft village. Anything! Anything possible we have to think and calculate. Its not as easy as I think before, we have many possibilities, many ways, many kind of thing that we can use to help them, but we have to decide only one perfect plan for them.

This time, we can’t decide yet… we have to collect more and more information about village condition and things that we will do with.

Same day, we start to supply medicine packet, we have 235 packets of medicine n vitamin.

In afternoon arrived Trans Lokal, Imogiri Bantul. We drop 100 packets for 100 families.

We also share our idea with all families, give them motivation always, and ask for possible way to optimally their village potential.

In this village, we find a problem which never solved. This village is hard to get water for their farmland. Only water from down hill they got from, they used water pump to pump up water from wellspring in down hill, and it used for their living only, they can used more but have to pay a lot.

So for the farmland they only use rain to watering their harvest. They can do farming only for 6 months per year in wet season.

We try to solve this problem by making an artesian well to help them watering in dry season, but then we find another problem if we really do this project.

The wellspring in this area (around hill) cannot supply enough water for both farmlands in dry season.

In dry season, the wellspring in down hill will lost the water also if we watering farmland in up hill, because all wellsprings are connected underground. So it will be water war between up hill and down hill… no, we don’t want it happen.

The possible way is make a small farmland near their house in dry season, because every house in Trans Local have small garden around their house. They can plant small plants like vegetables, chili, etc which need bit of water. So they can share the water with people in down hill.

And for first step, we will help them borrowing the seed, and paid their additional water.

After first harvest, they can buy their own seed and water for next harvest and pay their debt to us. And with this money we will make a KOPERASI (kind of cooperate company but basic on area condition).

This koperasi will sell seeds, fertilizer, tools and anything villagers need, also can be used as a bank for them. They can buy, rent, sell, borrow and save their money and the profit from koperasi also theirs. So it can be from them, by them, and to them. They can manage this koperasi for their best. And we will do it as soon as possible.

July 2, holiday… please, we need that too… ;o)

But actually, we can stop thinking about this, for sure!

Next day, July 3

Fresh air, clear weather…

We do shopping again; we want to make 200 stationery packets more.

But this time its easy for us, we know the store already, we know what we need also…

So, just went to store, ask for the same things with our last order. We waiting for 2 days to get all things.

Same day, have appointment with Ruli (from KUBA organization).

In this meeting, we share about our willing, and Ruli share about KUBA’s doing.

Ruli really help us to know how to make a program for children, she explains all in a simple way (because we don’t know how to take care 100 kids in same time, except Ely…hehehe…)

Ruli also help us counting the budget to this project. The idea of this program is how to know children condition, parent and environment supports. First step is play n learn with children continuity, ask parents and environment about children habit and condition.

After that we can decide the correct program for them.

So, we need many tools and toy to help the facilitator (volunteer who mentoring and doing activity with children) running with this program. And Ely already donate for these tools and kits… wow! It happens in our first meeting… thank you so!!

Quite well in our first meeting, then after this, we will go to KUBA and learn how to do this program!! Go go go…!!

Same day went to

CUBAN

HOSPITAL

, met doctors who need Spanish translator to support their job. This hospital helps people who get injured in earthquake and days after, but it quiet difficult when there just only 2 translators who help around 20 doctor.

So this time they need Spanish-Indonesian translator volunteers, and we will help them by informing this. If u are interesting with this, you can contact me or

RUWI 081 93 11 99 282 (Spanish translator volunteer)

And in the night, we do calculate all. How much all program will cost and how much money and things we have. Hmmm… difficult! Headache coming. We have to choose our main priority, find more donations, find more volunteers and still do our own job.

But we don’t want give up… they waiting for us, we have to do something, still…

July 4

Joanna and Ely have to go, do their own duty… but promise help us still. And if it’s possible they will come again, to do this work directly…

See ya… don’t blame me if you just read this diary, and can help your self to go here again… hehehe… thanks for these sisters, they help much not only in donation, but also as a volunteers…

Same day, go with Kingkong, find bamboo materials, counting cost for bamboo house…

And we find a bad news; all bamboo prices are up. All people need bamboo now, it is not only expensive, but also hard to find. Unbelievable!

We have to go out from Jogja to find bamboo with normal price.

Tiring bamboo trip day…

July 5

Meet Salma, free lancer from

Jakarta

, she has program helping people with help them selling their handicraft in

Jakarta

. She has a plan to make charity night in

Jakarta

We talk a lot about our plan and what we’ve done.

So, she join us to see what we’ve done, and arrange plan to make charity night in

Jakarta

Same day, arrived in Bubutan, Imogiri Bantul. Supply 89 packets of medicine and vitamin.

Noon, arrived Mangunjayan, Klaten, drop 45 packets of medicine and vitamins

Afternoon, arrived Kebon ndalem, Klaten drops 62 packets.

Share our plan about Koperasi in each village. Some of them know about it, some others just confusing…

Yeah, we need more time to make them understand…

Same day, Collect stationery packet, not complete at all, we have to find the rest in other store…

July 6

Collect the rest stationery packet

I went to KUBA base camp, have meeting about children program.

Kingkong looking for bamboo materials.

Yono make documentary and interview people.

Same day, assembling 200 packet of stationery.

July 7

Finally we find the company which sell bamboo in normal price.

We are dealing with this company to make a bamboo house for school in Canden, Bantul.

But not only bamboo material we get from this company, they also promise to us to make a workshop for people in Canden. In this workshop, they learn how to make furniture and handicraft from bamboo.

So, after we build the school, people can learn how to make furniture and handicraft from bamboo, and this company wants to help them by selling their product in company showroom. Great! We make it double…

We go to Canden, to announce it… and all people over there happy with this plan.

They crazy offer their self as workers to build this school… they do like children, spirits full and talk a lot… hehehe…

‘When we will do it mister? Tomorrow?’

‘I’ll bring all my tools!!’

‘Come on, last time you build corral was broken by your self’

‘But this mister said, we can learn… right Mister?’

Mothers said

‘We will prepare meal for all…’

‘But we only have cheap vegetables, can u eat vegetables Mister?

‘We can buy eggs for u if you like…sure!’

‘But you have to drive me to market to buy, mister’

‘and don’t forget to buy oranje stroop…’

I just smile with this… n I said,

‘Mom, I just like you, an ordinary people from north village, we eat vegetables and drink water too. No need eggs or oranje stroop’

Just like in my own family, they’re so warm, so funny, joyful, care n love us…

Now, I have another big family…

Everyone in warmth, hopeful, joy and spirit full..!!

Come here, and see you’re self… you will know why we love this…

It’s because of you… all of you…

Thanks for your support… thanks for your donation…

July 8

We are busy, to find more information about seed, fertilizer, fruit plan, vegetables plan, and our documentary film..

July 9

Preparing for children program, looking for Spanish translator volunteers.

Looking for bamboo handicraft, grass handicraft, and another handicraft material which easy to get. We trip almost 150 km, from village to village, area to area, beach to beach…

We find 23 kind of handicraft plants and material which easy and cheap to get.

With this example we will make another plan about make our village as a handicraft village, so they will have an additional income with it.

July 10

I do nothing, sorry… I have to do my own work to earn money for living…hehehe…

But, Kingkong and Yono do prepare for school project.

July 11

Met Turbo again… welcome back brother..!! thanks for the ‘oleh-oleh’

Discuss about our next project, calculate our donation, and how much we will need…

Our next project for our 4 villages

- children program (at least 4 month program)

- house program (at least one public building in each village)

- koperasi program (one for each village)

- farming program (2 villages in Klaten, 1 in Trans Lokal)

- additional income program (2 village in Bantul)

so finally,We need your support and help still.

We will send you report continuity what we’ve done.

If you want to help but you can’t find the way yet

If you interest with us to help them

You can donate into

For money transfer

AGRA

AGHASA

BCA KCU

YOGYAKARTA

No Rek: 0372502051

For Supplies and Help Address

AGRA

AGHASA

PERUM.PAMUNGKAS B.9

JL. KALIURANG KM.14

YOGYAKARTA

55584

INDONESIA

And we have a long term program for recovery and re-healing trauma for children. We need volunteers to make this program working.

You can contact us to get more information about this long term program.

PS:

Please forward this message to all of your friends, families, relative and relation

Agra

“akira” Aghasa

081-726-7668

Takahiro”turbo” Saito

081-338-093-984

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

rise again li’l fighter

June 27th, 2006 by artgralife

June 27, 2006

Hi, there…

Well, it’s a tiring days for us (all of man crew)

Start from June 25, we monitoring around 5 villages, search valid data of real condition, children, babies, and others.

dusun Numpukan, karang tengah imogiri bantul
Trans local, imogiri bantul
bubutan, imogiri bantul
kebon ndalem kidul, klaten
mangunjayan, sengon, klaten

We still searching about what they want, and what we can help.

But now, it’s more difficult, because in these days almost all families are in the same condition… Blank condition.

Earthquake was left, but scar tissue dried yet…

Start living with their family; survive with “house” o their ruin.

Parents work hard feed their children

Kids have their own battle to survive

Young man and woman doing anything they can do for survive.

Everyone start to rise again, forget the past and find new hope…

But actually, they do nothing…

Nothing they can do…

Parents lose their job

Young man confuses how to start it?

Kids, they are too innocent to know this complex problem

They want to build house but afraid still, and no money also

Try another way to earn money, no modals

Rice and vegetables for sell; impossible… they need for their self

Earthquake took everything from them, every single thing they had, was gone; families, relatives, spirit, soul, will, togetherness, friendship, and children future.

Most of them jobless, this is consequence of earthquake and any other disaster.

They cannot think clearly, what they think only how to save their own family, how to survive longer, how to feed their children.

Many ironic thing happen,

Men and women leaving their villages to work hard as labor or as ruin cleaner, earning money in another area, it is used to pay people who clean their house ruin.

Every parent is in a hurry to earn money. Leave their family to earn money. They do earn money to buy rice as much as they can, they just think ‘if I have a lot of rice, I can feed my family and save my children’. Then they have less time to spend time with their children.

Even they never work as a labor before, they do still. Many work accident happen, many people get sick because they not inexperienced in this.

Everyone only think about their own family, but actually they don’t care about it.

They forget about togetherness, friendship, helping each other.

Then we try to solve this problem, but we realize we are not God.

We can’t handle this entire problem, but we try as our best to do little thing for them.

No idea about this at the first time, How to save around 10.000 people future. We can’t supply logistic for a year and house materials for all those families… It’s not mission impossible for us, its suicide..!! (Too extreme eh..? he he…)

So we tried to find the main problem, and how to solve…

Make them do their surviving, keep struggling, rising their motivation to life, give them new hope and dream… but how? What was ‘thing’ which makes them in motivated or struggle into?

KIDS!!

Yup… all that parents n younger do are for kids, for their regeneration, for their future.

Don’t care how hard to survive, they do still!! That’s children power! Its parent intuition to save their children…

When children happy, parents feel life…

We got answer, so we know how to start to make all their n our dream come true.

We start to make database of children n baby, monitoring their activity, and motivating parent to make their children happy.

And now, we make program for children, cooperate with KUBA (children care organization) we do making continuity program for children healing.

For fist step we have to motivating children to do their normal activity; go to school, playing, praying, and learning.

For school activity, we support them a packet of books and stationary.

For play n learn activity, we support them a program to make them more active n ‘busy’

For praying, we support them informal school program, every week end

So everybody knows what they can do as a volunteer…

Ruli, Seno and Santi prepare play n learn program

Bacep, Yosi collect the donation, n as a ladies driver.. hehe..

Yono preparing the documentation

Me, turbo n king kong do SHOPPING…!!!

June 26, 2006

Start in the morning, we think today is not busy n tiring day…

Only searching stationery store, price checking, and then BUY..!!

200 stationery packets for starting…

So this day must be our holiday

But then…

Argh…!! We faced most tiring day in whole men life..

Walking from store to store, find some nice kind of pencil, looking for cute pencil case, priceless pen n marker, try one by one glue stick models, choose eraser model, ask the discount, matching item to item, waiting for all items, mix a plastic bag with another kind… bla, bla, bla…

It takes almost 10 hour!!! How come??!!

Now we realize, ‘there are things that men can do and men cannot do’ and do shopping is a thing that men cannot do…

A day shopping is more tiring than working in the farmland for a week…

So, we need woman to do this job, next. I give up… hiks…

After tiring adventure and we got the entire things we need, we go back to Seno house. Brought all those parts, and ready to assembling it as ‘cute school packet’

200 packets with 18 items inside…

Each packet is containing:

1. nice plastic bag
1. drawing book
2 writing books
1 note book
1 long ruler
1 pencil box
1 pen
4 pencils
1 marker
1 stick glue
1 pencil sharpener
1 triangle ruler set
1 eraser
1 scissor

All those packet finish at 22.15 in the same day…

And we name it “RISE AGAIN LITTLE FIGHTER…!”

Amazing day… new experience…

Waiting for tomorrow, imaging kid’s response seeing this..

June 27

Wake up in late morning, nightmare about shopping last night…

Today we go to Imogiri n Klaten to deliver little fighter packet.

10.30 arrived Bubutan, Imogiri

Dropped 30 packets for children… n seeing their response is amaze me so…

12. 30 arrived Mangunjayan, Klaten

Dropped 25 packets

14.30 arrived Kebon nDalem Kidul, Klaten

Dropped 45 packets

All children were amaze with this surprise, and all their parents very happy…

No patient wait for tomorrow to use this packet in their class.

Hear their comment and their plan was make me happy..

- Pap, I wanna go to school now..

- I’ll teach you draw tree n cow

- Mom, when my age enough to go to school?

- Waw.. Scissor n glue… we can make lampion now…

- No, you cannot have this sister, you re too young to understand…

He he he… I am speechless with this, amaze me so… You have to be here to feel this amazement… They are so nice, cute, n make all of us have a new spirit to do this more and more…

Children are our power…

So, not only packet we delivered, but also spirit n motivation for each parent.

We talk a lot with all parents, give them motivation, and make them thinking about their children future. Share our idea about togetherness and friendship, so they can be together again; help each other for their children future…

It’s work!!

All the parents agree with this idea, they realize that only with togetherness they can rising faster and back to normal life, maybe more…

They promise to their self, to do anything that they can do together for saving children future…

So, it’s time to do something to support them…

If you have any idea, just contact us… we appreciate that…

So we need your support and help still.

We will send you report continuity what we’ve done.

If you want to help but you can’t find the way yet

If you interest with us to help them

You can donate into

For money transfer

AGRA

AGHASA

BCA KCU

YOGYAKARTA

No Rek: 0372502051

For Supplies and Help Address

AGRA

AGHASA

PERUM.PAMUNGKAS B.9

JL. KALIURANG KM.14

YOGYAKARTA

55584

INDONESIA

And we have a long term program for recovery and re-healing trauma for children. We need volunteers to make this program working.

You can contact us to get more information about this long term program.

PS:

Please forward this message to all of your friends, families, relative and relation

Agra

“akira” Aghasa

081-726-7668

Takahiro”turbo” Saito

081-338-093-984

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strugle still

June 24th, 2006 by artgralife

June 24, 2006

Now, we are in happy day. In our last report (june 21), we had a plan to rebuild the broken drainage, we already give them all the material needs. So, it’s time to see how it works.

2 days ago we went to Kebon nDalem, Klaten to see the drainage,

June 22

10.30 We arrived, clean sky, bright sun, n so hot. We’re parking our car then walking trough farmland into the river (the broken drainage quiet far from main road).

We just think that maybe can saw them in work, but no one there, humm..

And what a surprise!! The broken drainage is full of water!! It’s work!!! We can’t hide our happiness. Only 2 days work n they finish fixing 200m broken drainage.

It’s amazing! It must be worked by at least 100 men.

So we go to the village to ask farmers what happen today. They said, all of men in 3 villages work hard fixing the drainage, that’s why the drainage working again.

The chief of farmers group said, they can save their harvest now, they can survive, they have future still. One man said ‘we saved now’, another said ‘I can’t imagine if we still waiting government to fix that drainage’

You have to see this, they are change! They get their spirit, soul and willing.. It’s very different when we went in a first time, shock, stress, hopeless, anger, selfish.

And we can see spirit from their eyes, they can smile n laugh, they know realize how much important to be together, still.

Thanks God, thanks for your support, thanks to everyone who concern oneself on this.

We love u all..

Still in same day, we also brought milk for baby, baby oils, books and writing tools for children. And as usual Turbo made origami bird for them, do some cheap tricky magic to entertain them n blowing balloon of course, So we just realize, maybe we can left Turbo over there for 2-3 days to make thousands bird and balloon for children all over the world.. He he…

So we go to another village, still Klaten, but more east n south. We went to dusun Mangunjayan, Sengon Klaten to distribute baby oils, books, writing tools, and mattress.

In this village 80% house destroyed, 1 people died but lost! Not lost in houses ruin, but lost in hospital… Sounds strange eh? But that’s what happened…

They tried to save the victim by sent her to hospital, one day left, hospital can’t help much, she died there… but then when her family want to take her back for her funeral, the answer was confusing. Some say she sent to another hospital, another say there were family came in to take her back, and many incorrectly information about her dead body. Everyone tried to find her but she just lost, n no body knows about… damn!! Irresponsibility hospital!!

That the unbelievable story… but it’s true…

Ok, next… so after we’re arrived there we drop the supplies, than we still collect the newest data about this dusun improvement. It’s our 4 times coming.

This village is very excited, they improved so fast… they already realize that only their self who help them rise again… not begging or waiting somebody else. Two thumbs up!

We want to support them, n we have to support them.

So we make interview with farmer group in this village, ask them what we can do to make them improve faster, n back in the normal condition.

They have internal meeting, and finally they get conclusion, they still need help n supply but not logistic, money, recovery tools or kitchen set, but if we don’t mind they want us to supply rice seed.

The idea is, 1-2 month after, they get their harvest. Usually 50% it’s used for living cost, 50% it’s used to buy seeds, fertilizers for next season. But in this case, they need more money for living cost n building house. In next harvest, 75% will be used for building house and another recovery, 25% will be used for living cost, buy seeds and fertilizers.

‘Please, help us to buy quarter or half seeds that we need for next season’ farmers said.

They need more seeds and fertilizer for next season, so we agree with this idea. And now we still keep in contact with them to get more information about rice seeds n fertilizer.

Same day still…

From Klaten we went back to Bantul, to dusun Trans Lokal, Imogiri Bantul.

Check for logistic, valid data about children n babies, interview some peoples.

Today they accept government aid, 10kgs rice for each people for a month. But money for living cost, yet.

It should be in the same time, 10kgs rice and Rp90.000 / month for each people, but in here, only rice and still waiting for the money.

If that money given not in the same time, they will sell half of rice to buy anything they need to survive, it’s ironic.

So we decide that we have to give them more logistic except rice, n delivered next day.

We also met some villagers, have a conversation to know their condition.

They still jobless during this dry season and they can’t work in factories as long as factories still closed.

Some people tried working as building labor, but it’s temporary. This week almost ruined house already cleaned.

People start hopeless; they need job to rise again into normal condition. They don’t want begging and waiting everyday.

We tried getting their spirit back, their hope, will, and dream.

We want to help them to find their potencies; not only area potencies but also men power potencies.

Our idea is, make this area as a handicraft village, and make them doing their own handicraft as a maker not only labor.

N we found the incredible data about men power potencies in here.

Some peoples can make keris, puppets, bamboo accessories, rope accessories, brick stone, wood accessories and much more.

So, we just discuss first, to decide want kind of handicraft that they want to do, collect information about handicraft materials, tools, price, and market.

June 23

We spread, I try to find more information about handicraft, turbo make a report, king kong go to Trans Lokal to deliver eggs,

Tempe

, and dried fish n to get information about choosing handicraft.

Nite,

We met my friends, Ruli, in warung coffe.

She has a community who cares in children activity, named ‘Kuncung-Bawuk(KUBA)’ (li’l boy-li’l girl.red)

KUBA also have program to save children from stress and trauma. She told us about her program in some villages.

N now, we know who can help us to make program for children. We found her already…

She’s agreeing to help us making program for children in our villages (imogiri n klaten), she also offering some volunteers to us to do this program. We just choose time n date, and then they can help us to make program for children… great!!!

June 24

Go to our first village (Numpukan, Karang Tengah Imogiri).

Bring baby food and milk, baby oil, baby powder, and women sanitary.

Warm full…

No more sadness, hopeless and selfish, they absolutely rising… they’re together, have their smile, happiness and new hope…

They said to us ‘please, come here anytime you want our door always open; you’re our families…’ so sweet…

Even though their house still as a ruin, but they are back into a normal condition, men back to their farmland, women selling in the market and children have their activity.

Not only supplies they need, but also support and our wide open hand…

It’s not useless living there for 2 weeks, we have new family here… n we love them so much, we’ll be there always…

KEEP STRUGGLE MY BROTHER…! I AM WITH YOU..!!

Same day, keep searching forgotten village.

Arrived in Bubutan, Imogiri.

47 families, 169 people, 11 babies, 28 children, 4 pregnant women, 2 died.

35 houses destroyed, 10 heavy damage, 2 small damage.

They still need tent… (After 3 weeks earthquake, they don’t have enough tents… damn government!)

Need toilet and good sanitary, only 1 toilet and bath room left (mosque toilet n bath room)

Vitamin, baby food, milk, and baby oil.

Boots, and rebuilding tools.

Unbelievable, almost a month left, but they still need emergency supplies. Our homework to rise this area faster…

So we need your support and help still.

We will send you report continuity what we’ve done.

If you want to help but you can’t find the way yet

If you interest with us to help them

You can donate into

For money transfer

AGRA

AGHASA

BCA KCU

YOGYAKARTA

No Rek: 0372502051

For Supplies and Help Address

AGRA

AGHASA

PERUM.PAMUNGKAS B.9

JL. KALIURANG KM.14

YOGYAKARTA

55584

INDONESIA

And we have a long term program for recovery and re-healing trauma for children. We need volunteers to make this program working.

You can contact us to get more information about this long term program.

PS:

Please forward this message to all of your friends, families, relative and relation

Agra

“akira” Aghasa

081-726-7668

Takahiro”turbo” Saito

081-338-093-984

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

we need your help, still

June 21st, 2006 by artgralife

To whom it may concern:

We need your help, still

We’ve been still collecting data and supplying some help to villages and small area which are ‘forgotten’ by Government reached and NGO groups since the earthquake on May 27^th 2006.

We are now focusing in village name Numpukan, Karang Tengah Imogiri, Bantul Jogjakarta.

People there give us this information:

This is the condition until June 6^th,

Out of 219 houses, 154(86%) were totally destroyed.

Approximately 500 people including 56 children are sleeping outside.

They’ve been shaken from the possibility of robbery in the darkness.

Foods stocks are good for one month only.

No toilets, neither bathroom.

NGO groups never reached here. And still no plan.

Avenue	Number of Family	Number of Children	Total amount of people	Totally destroyed houses	Heavily damaged houses	Small damaged houses
01	33	6	106	24	6	3
02	45	19	135	17	26	2
03	34	7	133	20	10	4
04	35	12	113	35	-	-
05	22	2	58	22	-	-
06	28	5	98	16	11	1
07	28	5	69	27	-	1
TOTAL	225	56	712	161	53	11

We kindly request for supplies as below:

Package1.

sheet for tents 5×7m (2 sheets per house)
mattress 1,4 x1,8m (6 pieces per tent)
emergency lamp and generator (either oil or rechargeable)

Package2.

sandals
rubber boot
Constructing Hard and software (shovel, hammer, gloves, etc…)
kitchen tools

Package3.

medicine, vitamins, nutrition for children
sanitary for women
food and milk for babies
cooking oil

Package4.

Materials for Constructing toilets and bathroom

This village is little in land from road, so all the supplies can’t reach them.
Sometimes cars get robbed by people in hunger, even at the check point, guy from government takes these supply for themselves.

There are heaps of small villages as same situation as above.
Now we’ve been changing lots of information’s from other volunteer groups.
What most of people with no houses say was almost as same as what I
had interviewed.

URGENT
tents
lamps
mattress
blanket

rice
sandals, long boots
re-construction tools
sanitary
vitamins
generator
cooking material
cooking oil

The following day I sent SMS to all of my friends.

I thank to friends, specially Miss. J who raised half from

Holland

Now the total amount we’ve got is US$ 5600 from friends all over the world.

On June 12th, we made small music and food festival for kids.
~full moon party in Imogiri.
There were around 400 people came to enjoy. There were two singers and one comedian from local TV joined to cheer them up. Kid’s laughter was like tornado. The voice of singing almost breaks my ears.
At just this moment, they all forgot about the trauma they have. Their smile and voice made me cry.

It gave joy, and send spirit to people that can create power for future, I believe this was a big help for them.

And we also deliver 230 water pots for each family. And now mission for this village is completed for the moment. I’m now researching for another village in need for help.

June 21, 2006

We try to collect donation from whom it may concern, and we use that money to buy things what they need.

Because of your support and help, we can supplies

45 tents, mattress and blankets for 7 avenue
230 water pots for each family
226 buckets for each family
350 books for children
24 emergency lamps for 7 avenue
13 packed of reconstruction tools
90 rubber boots
30 sandals
make 1 small party for children

Thank you for support and help.

Now they can live better than before, and we still have a contact with them for knowing what they need. And we start to make a program for children and woman.

And now we find another forgotten village.

Kebon nDalem, Klaten, Jawa Tengah
Trans Lokal, Karang Tengah, Imogiri, Bantul Yogyakarta

In first village the condition it’s not much different as other. 95% from 62 families lost their house.

Logistic supplies enough for 2 weeks only, no electricity, and enough tents for each family.

Start on June 15^th, we are continuity supplying logistic and kid tools. And we still keep on contact with this village to know what they need and what we can do to help them.

On June 20^th we found a main problem in this village, which makes them survive less.

Majority people in this village are rice farmers; they can survive still because of their harvest. But now they have problem to save their harvest. The drainage was damage, so they don’t have water for their farmland.

For 2 weeks much of them can’t not watering their farmland.

Chief of farmers group already sent message to government, but the answer only wait and wait. How long the drainage will rebuild no body know.

Some farmers try to rent water pump to watering in order to save their harvest, but it’s not life longer, it’s hard for them to rent water pump anytime they need. Their money left not only to save their harvest but also feeding their family.

The drainage is not only supplying water in this village, but also supplying water for farmland in other two villages. And 6000 peoples lives there, hang their life into harvest and crops. So, there no other reason not to fix it as soon as possible

After we finished supplying rice, onion, cooking oil, soap, shampoo, baby food, milk, and books.

In June 20^th, we use your money to buy 20 sack of cement, a truck of sand. And with all the people who joined in farmer groups in three villages, we start to re-build the drainage. We hope it will finish in 2-3 days after, so they can save their harvest.

Second village, Trans Lokal, Karang Tengah Imogiri. There are 100 families who life there. 17 houses are destroyed and heavy damage. All people are safe and life, only 2 peoples get hurt. It sounds they are OK and didn’t need help, but in reality we found in opposite condition.

This village is new village; it made by government for introducing their newest program of local transmigration. Placed in the top of the hill, and lived by 100 poor families who are moved into this project village. Government tries rising their economic level by giving them house, land and farmland. Sounds great! But this is a failed project.

Government never mentoring and cooperating with them seriously, that’s why they are still poor families and becoming forgotten village in Bantul.

When the disaster was coming, no one remember this village. Three days after the quake, they were lived with no help and supply. Fist aid coming on May 30^th and it just water and meal.

Difficult way to go there was the reason no aid coming. Only peoples who ever go there before knew there was a village names Trans Lokal in top of the hill.

If there were supplies and help coming, it stopped on the down of the hill, people who live under the hill make barricade on the road and always said “this is the last village, no village up there! Just drop your supplies here!” (I’m so sorry with this)

That’s why it’s not easy to go there and give the supply. Sometimes we’ve to give a half of supplies into people who live under the hill before they open their barricade.

Until now, supplies only come 4 times, and only water and instant noodles.

Majority peoples over there are working as season farmer (only farming in the wet/rain season) and as seller in market. In a dry season (this time) they are working as labor. And as the consequence of the earthquake they are lose their job. They can’t sell in the market, because the market already destroyed, they can’t be a labor because many company and factory also destroyed. And it is hard for them to survive.

In June 20^th we supply rice, cooking oil and dried fish for each family to life for 4 days only, we will be there continuity, cooperating with, and mentoring until they are ready to survive with this condition.

And now we still look for something which can help them to survive for their future. Wish we luck, and found the best way for them to survive

And this is mostly condition which will you find in many place when you here.

In a village, there is emergency post (POSKO) which has to distribute all of aid to all over the village for a month. The condition is there’s no fair distribution. They just distribute it to the people around the emergency post. Well, it’s not fair to the people who really need the aid and they stay far away from emergency post (POSKO). A week after the earthquake, there are many people who live in isolated area who didn’t receive the aid even just a tent to shelter in. They build their own tents from curtains. In fact, the days after the disaster, the rain came down in torrents. It’s ironic to know that even people who stay next to the POSKO haven’t got any aid

Government can’t manage that condition because there are many necessities included. It can’t be avoided since the disaster. People don’t know what they should do in order to look for an aid. Till there is much aid they received, they just keep it for their own families.

And we need your support and help still.

We will send you report continuity what we’ve done.

If you want to help but you can’t find the way yet

If you interest with us to help them

You can donate into

For money transfer

AGRA

AGHASA

BCA KCU

YOGYAKARTA

No Rek: 0372502051

For Supplies and Help Address

AGRA

AGHASA

PERUM.PAMUNGKAS B.9

JL. KALIURANG KM.14

YOGYAKARTA

55584

INDONESIA

And we have a long term program for recovery and re-healing trauma for children. We need volunteers to make this program working.

You can contact us to get more information about this long term program.

PS:

Please forward this message to all of your friends, families, relative and relation

Agra

“akira” Aghasa

081-726-7668

Takahiro”turbo” Saito

081-338-093-984