Lombok Island in Indonesia has been damaged by two earthquakes of severe magnitude. The first of these occurred on 29th July and the second on 5th August in 2018. These rated 6.4 & 6.9, respectively. More than 400,000 people were affected.
After the earthquakes, a lot of houses were destroyed leading many people to live in tents.

Tents located in the place where temporary houses would be constructed.

The high temperature of the climate, which often reaches heights of 30 degrees, proved to be extremely tough for people to live in temporary houses due to the humidity.
PWJ and the local NGO, named ACT (AKSI CEPAT TANGGAP https://act.id), in cooperation with us, constructed 80 temporary houses and 16 temporary toilets in Ganga, an area of northern Lombok Island.

Temporary toilet

Temporary houses constructed in Ganga area

The construction started on 1st October and was completed on 23th October. Many local residents had yearned for the completion of the temporary housing. They gathered in celebration for the opening ceremony when the project was finished.

The opening ceremony in Ganga area

 
Ms. Aguni (real name not provided) lived in a temporary housing with her husband and 3 daughters.

Ms. Aguni living in a temporary housing

She got stuck under a collapsed roof as she was in the house when the earthquake occurred. Her husband managed to free her from the collapsed structure. However, they had to subsist barefoot, wearing only t-shirts for the night after this disaster when they fled in to mountainous areas fearing a Tsunami.
The uneasy night spent in the mountain was only the beginning of Ms. Aguni’s and her family’s troubles. The family were unable to rebuild their house immediately and were forced to live in temporary house. However, the tents did provide them with a degree of safety. The temporary housing helped to inspire people to look towards a more positive future. It was the attitude of these people which inspired and motivated us to work for them.

Kids playing soccer in front of temporary housing

PWJ will continue to support people in Lombok island.