The Story of Two Sisters: Salbiah & Ratina

Salbiah & Ratina are sisters who were saved from the Tsunami which destroyed almost 60% of the province of Aceh, the western-most province of Indonesia.

When the Tsunami struck, they happened to be in Blang Pidie which is located about 1-2 hours drive from Banda Aceh (BA). Knowing that their family was left in BA, they wanted to return home, but because of the chaos, they were advised not to go. They prayed that their family was safe. That was all they could do.

It wasn’t until fourteen days later that they were able to return to BA to search for their family.

They were happy to find out that their parents and other 5 siblings were all safe and sound, but their 10 year old little brother had died trying to wrestle with the mud, tree-branches and debris from buildings. The rest of the family walked away with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the land where their house once stood. They then went to live in an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp (tent) for the next four months.

After four months there, they were given their own tent so that they could live on their land. It was just in February 2006 that they receive a donation to rebuild their house. The rooms in the house are not enough for all of them but they are still thankful. Also they received a donation of two sewing machines which they are using to make scarves. Before the Tsunami, neither Salbiah nor Ratina had any work experience because their father was the one who provided for the entire family. They eagerly started looking for viable job opportunities.

In mid 2006, Salbiah and Ratina completed two weeks of traditional handbag embroidery training, in cooperation with Laga Designs International, Inc. This training is specially designed to teach Acehnese women new skills to be used to help support their families. The two sisters are grateful for having been given the opportunity to learn a new skill, giving them a new confidence for a better future. Now, each day they diligently come to work, happy to have the opportunity to make a living embroidering handbags for Laga.