james tan

Multiple Earthquakes - Lombok, West Nusa Tengara, Indonesia

 

the adventure

 

"...a kind of relationship magic soon emerged among us..."

​

The sun was scorching and our labour was back-breaking....Following the multiple earthquakes of Jul and Aug 18, we began mounting several disaster response missions to Lombok. We focused on several of the rural villages that we'd identified and established initial contact earlier on. Our purpose was simple: catalyse a "gotong royong" spirit in each village, so that the villagers would help themselves and each other in the recovery and rebuilding process

​

Working in close co-operation with our Indonesian partners, we equipped the villagers with the necessary work tools and materials, as well as employed our mission teams to labour alongside them. Using wheel-barrows, shovels, hoes and our bare hands, each mission team helped clear many piles of rubble and debris, dig drainage trenches, mix cement, build toilets, hand-carry heavy steel rods, and all other manner of hard labour. Most of the team members were unused to such heavy and laborious work, and even less so under a 40-degree Lombok sun in the hills. But, no one complained. We just needed lots of drinking water  

​

And, as we started working each day, the other villagers would begin to join in, including the young children and elderly. Soon, a spontaneous, inter-generational, mixed workforce would emerge, and some kind of workflow would develop among us. Despite the language and cultural differences, we managed to communicate by smiling, laughing, gesturing, and an encouraging thumbs up every now and again. As we laboured together under the scorching sun, our camaraderie grew

​

These missions reinforced an insight that I'd discovered many years ago in Afghanistan: if we focus solely on Giving stuff to the distressed, then we will only create an unequal and dependent relationship between giver and recipient. Instead, if we focus on Doing challenging things together, then we will not only level our relationship, but will also move others to action, foster mutual respect, and strengthen common purpose. That is the relationship magic that "gotong royong" produces....  

​