In order to get to know one member per month, the Breadbasket editor chose me as the recipient of the May's ROTIAN of the month. I am really honored but don’t feel I deserved it. I have been a lurker all the time.

It was the late PP Peter D. Wulff (Razor) who introduced me to ROTI and made me subscribe to the ROTI mail lists. I enjoyed the ROTI General list the most and still do. I admired the fellowship, the wit and the humor. I sometimes participated then, but often I was not quick enough, as my English was not of the free flowing kind.

I did like ROTI Tech too. First I understood the questions, the answers not always. Later I don’t even understand the questions.

Having ROTI experience, I established our first district mail list, which kept me busy for exactly a decade to the second. I terminated it on December 29, 2007 14.34

I have served as district governor of D 3400 (Indonesia) in 1992-93.Thereafter I was the District WCS officer for quite a number of years.

My wife and I hail from Aceh North Sumatra, where the Tsunami struck in December 26 2004. 200,000 people died, some were close relatives.

In March 2005 I was asked to join the Tsunami Disaster Management Task Force, a central body created by our centennial governor on January 16, 2005 to coordinate and manage international assistance, which resembles a tsunami in itself.

Indonesia received US$ 2.8 billion from foreign donors while our government budgeted US $ 2.2 billion. Our District received directly close to US$ 5 million in donations including Matching Grants and our allotment from The Rotary Foundation Solidarity in South Asia Funds (TRFSSAF).

With all the money coming in, there was certain euphoria. Everyone was looking for projects. I got two, one successful the other not so.

20 fishermen in the village I was born, obtained replacements of their utensils damaged or swallowed by the sea. They got them in kind. This was successful ending with 11 % budget surplus.

The second was to replant 27 hectares of cacao trees, washed away by the tsunami. 41 persons were involved. I got the funding with ease but I had ignored the Guide to Effective Projects 605A-EN, a lesson from my WCS days. A complete assessment of recipients was not done.

The trouble started with the first payment for land clearing in October 2005. Most just take the money. The following disbursement I subjected to progress reports, which also was not easy to verify.

Three years on, only ten persons were harvesting cacao. These people prove to be the real cacao farmers. One third of the funds which was never disbursed were returned to the donor.

What I am going to say is that if disaster strikes, people are very generous to help. Many are eager to distribute the help quickly. Those who contributed want to see something tangible immediately. No wonder there are so many white elephants.

When a smaller tsunami struck Maumere on the island of Flores in December 1992, I withstood the pressure. Let’s wait till the dust has settled, I said. Only in March I found a proper conduit in the local Catholic Church.

The school we funded still stands. A 5x4 ft memorial depicts all donors. Razor is one of them.

We also funded a self help home program. 93 Home owners obtained supplementary material to rebuild their own homes, thereby involving recipients.

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Since October 2007, I am member of the board of governance of a project interested in the welfare of orphans and abandoned children resulting from the tsunami. Three duplexes and a community center have been built near the capital city of the Aceh province. The name of the project is Gampong Anak (village for children)

SOS Kinderdorf, manages it, providing home and family style accommodation, protection and education for the children.

Rotary club of Turramurra, Australia D 9680 provided funding for the premises and running expenses until December 31st 2010.

This project is part of the Rotary Youth Center Project (RYC).The latter was granted 9 hectares of land, on which several facilities can be built to serve the youth. A Health Center and Dormitory for medical students are nearing completion (funding from TRF SSAF).

We are negotiating with an interested party for building, furnishing and staffing of a computer school.