Indonesia 8

I haven't had a chance to update this for a few days as it has, in part, been flat out. However, in part, I've also simply been out of range of wifi/ phone etc.

During the week there have been a range of random activities. Some days were taken up seeing if toilets that we had commissioned for a camp of displaced people were actually finished. The answer, sadly, was no, and we're not sure where the contractor is at the moment. We restarted them the next day with a plan 'b' contractor.

Another morning was taken up with all of the other agencies that are funded through the Dutch government. We each had to meet to ensure that there is no duplication in services (ironically this in itself is duplication as we already check this off through UN OCHA) and also to learn about some funding requirements that weren't explained to us at the time of receiving the funding. (We think this is a problem with our partners back in the Netherlands.

It also highlights some of the less attractive, but necessary, parts of managing some of these projects. Wednesday morning, for example, was a full meeting looking at budgets for our mobile clinics, truama healing service and hospital repairs.

To contrast this, yesterday our team travelled out of town to the area of Dongi-Dongi, in the central Sualwesi mountains. We stopped at Ampera where we were able to check out the finished repairs to The Salvation Army health clinic and take some photos for the donors. We then proceeded further up the road to the "District 8" Christmas celebration. District 8 (in Australia, The Salvation Army would call them 'areas') is the smallest District in East Palu Division with 9 corps and a couple of outposts. But they are all within 5km of each other. Some are so close that they have made up names like "Nottingham" Corps, "William Booth" Corps and "Bramwell Booth" Outpost - because there are already a number of corps in the same town.

The Christmas celebration was great. Around 600 people from this one area gathering. Following that we stayed (17 people in total) at the Corps Officers house (around 4 in most rooms) before a liesurely drive back today. The hospitality of the Indonesian people is astounding; they graciously host us in their home, feed us and greet us gladly wherever we go.

Our newly repaired medical clinic at Ampera