“am alone now. I lost all my family – my four children, and nine of my grandchildren. Now I live in a barracks with one grandson and some surviving children-in-law. I am always crying now.

After the tsunami, I managed to get to the Grand Mosque. I stayed for one day under the dome.

“I was at home when the earthquake hit, in the bedroom. At the time of the earthquake I went out to check on the grandchildren, I met my son who said there had been some damage to the house. I asked my husband to go look at it. There was talk of a high wave coming.

“On the way to the house, I heard screaming about water coming. Then I saw the wave and held the house vents as water hit. I was in the water, and clung to a floating piece of wood. I was swept 7 kilolmeters away from my house and suffered very severe wounds to my neck, foot, and arm.

“A youth saved me and took me to a hospital. A stayed there 1 day, but didn’t know anyone. I slept surrounded by dead bodies. The next day, a relative found me and took me to another place, where I waited for 8 days without seeing a doctor, despite very deep wounds.

“I waited for my children and grandchildren but they didn’t come. Finally an Indonesian Red Cross volunteer took me to a hospital and an Australian doctor gave me an operation that night. By then I had severe infections. After 4 days in the hospital, a son-in-law came with some grandchildren. I stayed at that Red Cross hospital for 20 days.

“After leaving the hospital, I went to a refugee camp for one month, still getting outpatient medical care. I kept waiting for my children and grandchildren. I still wait, although after so much time there is no sign that they are alive.

“I moved to this barracks in March. I have 1 room I share with 4 relatives. I get support from NGOs like Kariasi and I got physical therapy from another NGO. That was very important because one of my hands was disabled from the tsunami injuries, but now I can use it again. I still have health problems, and recently had to have a kidney operation. The Red Cross helps with medical care here, water / sanitation, and health education.

“NGOs give us many things, but still I need help with everything. Clothes for example, especially panties. I had no underwear at all for a long time. I have terrible pain from my wounds. I have a tiny stall where I sell drinks, but I need financial support to build my business.

“Sometimes I don’t want to live any longer, because I want to see the rest of my family. I want to be with my dead children and grandchildren.”

1. Banda Aceh’s most notable landmark is a 16th-century mosque. It was far enough inland to be largely spared by the tsunami, and thus served as shelter for many in the first days.
2.  Kariasi – “Creation” in English – is a Christian NGO that was doing livelihoods work