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42-year-old Darmawati lives in Jorong Ambung Kapur village in Padang Pariaman district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This region was badly affected by the earthquake that struck on 30 September, with some villages completely razed to the ground. Even now bodies are still being pulled from the rubble.

Darmwati lives with her 85-year-old mother and her four children, who were all inside their house when the earthquake struck. As their home began to shake, Darmawati’s elderly mother managed to run outside but her young daughter was trapped inside their bathroom. Darmawati could hear her daughter crying and finally managed to get inside the house to rescue her.

Reduced to rubble

The force of the earthquake has reduced the family’s home to a heap of bricks and bits of twisted corrugated iron. All their belongings that they saved so many years to buy have been destroyed. They have no furniture, no beds, no cooking utensils, but just the clothes they were wearing and a few blankets that they managed to rescue from the rubble.

Darmawati managed to buy a single tarpaulin sheet which she has erected by the site of her old house and which is now her family’s only shelter. They have no running water or electricity, and no proper protection from the wind and rain.

A safe home

Darmawati said, “I feel utterly hopeless. I do not have anywhere safe for my children to stay and I have lost all my belongings. I do not know how I will ever be able to buy back everything that has been destroyed.”

“I built this house on my own using my own income. It has taken me all my life to build this home for my family and I will never be able to afford to rebuild it. I do not earn much money and have to feed five other people as well as sending my daughters to school. Where will I find the money to build them a safe home for the future?”

Help needed

Islamic Relief has previously worked in Darmwati’s village, installing a water system here in 2008. To help those like Darmawati who have been affected by the earthquake we are providing them with food and other relief items such as hygiene kits, while also ensuring that their water system is still functioning.

Darmawati said, “I am so happy that Islamic Relief is here as we have received no help so far. Members of the community have got together to provide food to those who have been affected but we desperately need a tent, clean water and blankets. I hope that soon someone can help me rebuild my house so that my beloved children and mother will have somewhere safe to stay.”