Ismet Nur
Age: 28 years old
Location: Kajhu village, Aceh province, Indonesia
When tsunami waves hit Kajhu village four years ago, the seaside town was completely leveled. Ismet, now 28 years old, returned from a friend's wedding to find debris in place of his village and his sister missing. Ismet searched for his sister and friends and helped bury the dead. In the following days, he collected wood and other scraps left behind by the tsunami and built a shack near where his family home once stood.
Over a year ago, Ismet and his family moved into a permanent home constructed by the Canadian Red Cross with water and sanitation systems provided by the American Red Cross. In turn, Ismet became a community leader. Early on, Ismet volunteered to assist with monitoring and management of the household water and sanitation systems. With American Red Cross training and support, he now helps fellow community members understand how their new systems work and also educates neighbors on proper hygiene practices.
"The people of Kajhu thank you for all of the support provided to us by the Red Cross," says Ismet. "From temporary shelters and housing reconstruction to water and sanitation support and community trainings, the scope of the assistance that has been given is huge. It has helped us rebuild everything from the beginning. After the tsunami, we started from zero in this place...but look at where we are now," Ismet says, smiling.
Working together with the Canadian Red Cross, the American Red Cross is providing household water supplies and environmentally safe sanitation systems to over 770 households in Kajhu, including Ismet's.
