Tsunami and War Survivors are Strong

Natural disasters and wars are particularly difficult for women -- who often keep families and communities safe during the crisis and then pick up the pieces when the crisis is “over.”

Women in Aceh, Indonesia, have survived both a devastating tsunami and a brutal war. Now there is an official peace and people are slowly rebuilding.

UUSC’s partner organization, Solidaritas Perempuan (Women Solidarity), is helping women affected by both the conflict and the tsunami better understand their rights and responsibilities as women and citizens. Solidaritas Perempuan knows that everyone will have to work together to rebuild Aceh, and that empowering women is critical.

Most women in Aceh have been left out of public life and decision-making. Solidaritas Perempuan is working at the village level to change this, together with village women. They gather for monthly discussions and problem-solving and strategy sessions.

The Solidaritas Perempuan team believes that emphasizing women’s rights will help village women recognize the strength and courage that they already have as survivors of disaster and war. And then women will begin to express their ideas and opinions, and participate in making decisions on matters that affect their lives.

I met and spoke with over 50 women in two villages where Solidaritas Perempuan works. They told me that they are learning more about their rights and how to protect and exercise those rights. They shared some of their stories of the tsunami and the conflict. They recognize that real peace and development will only happen when everyone is involved -- women and men -- from the grassroots up.
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Gretchen Alther, staff member of UUSC’s Rights in Humanitarian Crises program unit, is currently in Aceh meeting local organizations and communities that are working for a more just Aceh following the December 2004 tsunami and the recently ended war.