"Tsunami"
Aitape Diocese Rehabilitation Committee Report
Pre-Disaster Situation
Prior to the tsunami disaster, there were a total of five big schools, two aid-posts and one health sub-center in the area. These facilities were either destroyed by the wave or were deserted by the people for fear of a possible recurrence of the disaster.
With this fear and a little encouragement from government officials, the people moved inland to reside on their traditional land. This resulted in a wide dispersal of people thus making the centralization of services difficult. The Government decided that instead of having only five schools, it would build nine schools to cater for the rather wide dispersal of the people. The Rehabilitation Committee adhered to the Government plan in its reconstruction efforts.
The Reconstruction Program
The Diocese of Aitape Rehabilitation Committee for a total school children population of 1,979 built 7 schools out of the total of 9.
Facilities Reconstructed
Name of School Village No. of Facilities
Areki Malol 3 double classrooms
6 teachers houses
6 kitchens and shower blocks for teachers
3x 4,000 gallons water tanks for classrooms
3x 2,000 gallons water tanks for classrooms
6x 1,000 gallons water tanks teachers house
1x 1,000 gallons water tank stolen
1 permanent bridge & road maintenanceSt Benedict's,
Aipokon Malol 2 double classrooms
4 teachers houses
1 health sub center
3 nurses houses
7 kitchens & showers for teachers and nurses
2x 4,000 gallons water tanks for classrooms
2x 2,000 gallons water tanks for classrooms
7x 1,000 gallons tanks for teachers & nurses
Road maintenance to the siteSt Gabriel's,
Rainikir Malol 3 double classrooms
6 teachers houses
6 kitchens and shower blocks for teachers
3x 4,000 gallons water tanks
3x 2,000 gallons water tanks
6x 1,000 gallons water tanks for teachers
Road maintenance to the siteAmu Malol 3 double classrooms
6 teachers houses
1 aid post
1 nurses' house
7 kitchens & shower blocks teachers & nurse
7x 2,000 water tanks for classrooms
1x 2,000 water tank for aid post
7x1,000 gallons tanks for teachers and nurses
1x 1,000 gallons water tanks stolen
Road maintenance to the siteCorpus Christi Arop 4 double classrooms
1 admin & library block
8 teachers houses
1 aid post
1 nurse' house
4x 4,000 gallons tanks for classrooms
4x 2,000 gallons tanks for classrooms
1x 2,000 gallons tanks for aid post
1x 1,000 gallons tank for nurses house
8x 1,000 gallons tanks for teachers' houses
9 kitchens & shower blocks for teachers & nurse
Road maintenance to the site
Mariele Ventre
Barupu 6 double classrooms
1 admin and library block
12 teachers houses
1 aid post
1 nurses' house
13 kitchen & shower blocks teachers & nurses
12x 2,000 gallons tanks for classrooms
1x 2,000 gallons tank for aid post
12x 1,000 gallons tanks for teachers' houses
1x 1,000 gallons tank for nurses house
2 permanent steel bridges to the site
Extensive road maintenance to the siteSt Michael's School
Sissano 6 double classrooms
1 admin and library block
12 teachers houses
1 health sub center
3 nurses houses
3 kitchen & shower blocks for nurses
12 kitchen and shower blocks for teachers
12x 2,000 gallons tanks for classrooms
2x 2,000 gallons tanks for health sub-center
12x 1,000 gallons tanks for teachers' houses
3x 1,000 gallons tanks for nurses' housesPou Village 1 double classroom;
2 teachers houses;
2 x 1,000 gallons tank;
2x 2,000 gallons tank;
2x kitchens and shower blocks.Ramo Village 1 double classroom;
2 teachers houses;
2x 1,000 gallons water tanks;
2x 2,000 gallons water tanks;
2x kitchens and shower blocks.Wok Sambai (Counseling)
St Martin's 6 three-bed room houses
1x two-bed room house
7x 2,000 gallons tanks
2x 4,000 gallons tank 1x 24-bed dormitory
1x 3-room office for counselors
1 landcruiser and 1 open back 2 wheel driveFr Antonine Center
(for amputees) 2 staff houses
1x 17-bed dormitory
1 training/exercise building
6x 2,000 gallons water tanksSchools Toilets
The only thing which remains to be completed are the toilets for all the seven schools. Work on this has commenced and, subject to weather, road conditions, etc, will continue until all schools have been attended to.
Extra Facilities for Schools
Since the completion of the 7 schools assigned to the Rehabilitation Committee, 6 of the 7 schools have come back to advise us that the number of facilities provided are not adequate for the number of students which has, since the disaster, increased. These increases have now been confirmed by the Education Authorities and the reasons for these increases are:.
- The readily available food supply, initially from the relief rations and now from their gardens as in most cases where they normally have their food gardens. This was not the situation prior to the disaster;
- The assistance in the payment of school fees by the Diocese of Aitape Rehabilitation Committee;
- A number of west coast people returning to the new villages to either claim their land or to visit their families and have not left the village;
- The close proximity of the school to the new villages (prior to the disaster, long distances were involved; and
- The attractiveness of the new facilities;
- The establishment of the new facilities has now resulted in the stabilization of the people, which in turn has allowed for a better assessment of the new population of the area.
- Rehab has submitted a request to the EU for possible funding for these additional facilities and at this stage, the possible funding of this request looks almost a certainty.
Student Population in All Schools
Student populations of schools built by Rehab are as follows:
- Areki Community School, Government agency, 174;
- St Benedict Community School, Aipokon, Catholic Agency, 131;
- St Gabriel's Community School, Rainikir, Catholic Agency, 170;
- Amu Community School, Amu, Government Agency, 305;
- Corpus Christi Community School, Arop 1, Catholic Agency, 253;
- Mariele Ventre Barupu Com School, Barupu, Catholic Agency, 335;
- St Michael's Community School, Sissano, Catholic Agency, 381.
Schools built by other agencies are:
- Wuipom Community School, Sissano, Evangelical Alliance agency, 81;
- Arop 2 Community School, Wauroin, Government agency, 149.
Total student population for the nine schools stand at 1,979.
School Fees:
In 1999 and 2000, the Rehabilitation Committee paid part of the school fees for all school children of the people affected by the tsunami disaster, a commitment which amounted to about K200,000 per year. This assistance is expected to continue for the next three years.
Trust Deeds
Three trust accounts have been established by the Rehabilitation Committee to ensure the continuation of a number of the programs. These deeds are the:
- School Fees and Materials Trust (for school fees, etc);
- The Wok Sambai (the Counseling Program) Trust; and
- The Amputees Trust (for the long term care of the amputees).
Roads and Bridges
In its attempts to get to some of the more difficult sites to reconstruct community facilities, the Rehabilitation Committee found itself in such a situation that it had to build a total of five permanent bridges and inject
substantial amounts of donation funds into the maintenance of existing roads.
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