EAST ACEH (13 March 2024) - Eleven heads of families in Seuneubok Simpang Village, Darul Aman District, East Aceh Regency, Aceh Province, now reside in earthquake-resistant homes. Among them, M. Husen expressed his overwhelming joy and gratitude for the opportunity to inhabit a habitable, earthquake-resistant home as Ramadan commences this year. This significant transformation was made possible by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and the Kompas Humanitarian Fund (DKK), who undertook the reconstruction of his previously uninhabitable residence.


M. Husen, his wife, and their three children spent decades living in a decaying house with wooden plank walls and a dirt floor.


"The condition of the house used to be very bad. The walls were made of wooden planks, the floor had not been cast, it was still dirt. Now, thank God, it is good," M. Husen added.


M. Husen conveyed his heartfelt appreciation to MoSA and the Kompas Humanitarian Fund (DKK) for their assistance in providing earthquake-resistant housing, enabling his family to move in just in time for Ramadan. The assisted house is equipped with a living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.


"Alhamdulillah, I am very glad and grateful to receive MoSA’s house assistance, which has been under construction since last year. While last year's Ramadan was spent amidst construction, this year, we are finally able to settle into our new home," explained M. Husen.


M. Husen earns a livelihood through various odd jobs, such as collecting rubber sap in people's gardens, fetching him between IDR 80,000 and IDR 100,000 per day. In addition to housing assistance, M. Husen received support for his grocery store business in the form of spices and food stall supplies, providing additional resources for his family's daily needs.


"Now I have a nice house and support for my grocery store, thank God I'm happy," said M. Husen.


Previously, the Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini, on (28/2), handed over housing assistance from the Kompas Humanitarian Fund (DKK) and the Ministry of Social Affairs worth IDR 1.922 billion for the construction of Integrated Welfare Houses (RST) for 11 heads of families in Seuneubok Simpang village, Darul Aman District, East Aceh Regency, Aceh Province.


The decision to construct these houses stemmed from MoSA’s media scanning initiatives, which identified the need for earthquake-resistant homes. "We discovered not only the 3 houses reported in media scanning but also neighboring houses that were damaged. Consequently, we chose to assist 11 housing units," explained the Minister.