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Humanitarian organization opens center in Mentawai Islands
by Howard Swanwick
07/12/2007:// Humanitarian aid organization SurfAid International has opened the first stage of the Quiksilver SurfAid Community Health Training Centre at Katiet, in the Mentawai Islands, off Indonesia's West Sumatran coast.
The centre, which has been funded by the Quiksilver Foundation, has been designed by leading organic agriculturalist, Brendan Hoare.
In the worst Mentawai villages, up to 50 per cent of children will die from causes including acute respiratory infection, diarrhea, bad or unclean birthing and malaria. Underlying this, SurfAid research shows that up to 40 per cent of Mentawai children are malnourished and 60 per cent of mothers and children are anemic. The centre aims to help correct this situation.
SurfAid Founder and CEO, Dr. Dave Jenkins, said the opening of the centre was the culmination of a long and successful partnership with Quiksilver.
"The Quiksilver Foundation has been supporting SurfAid's relentless pursuit of cost effective results that create lasting change and break the cycle of poor health and health behaviors that have been part of Mentawai life for up to 5000 years," he said.
"Quiksilver understands the need for real grassroots action and the centre provides a place for best practice and for training staff to take that practice far beyond Katiet and the Mentawai," he said. "Our staff will teach the mums how to more efficiently grow highly nutritious food for themselves and their children. This is cutting edge, grassroots community development at the very edge of the planet."
Three hundred people from the five hamlets of Bosua village, on Sipora Island, attended the opening celebrations.
Dignitaries included the Vice Bupati (Head) of the Mentawai, Yudas Sabaggalet, the Vice Chairman of Parliament, Raymundus Sababbalat, the Head of Sipora Sub District, Akas Sikatsilak, the Head of Bosua Village, Maralus Sagari, and Walter from the Community Village Empowerment office.
Lance Knight, who lends his name to the famous local break of Lance's Right, and his son Tasman attended the opening, along with two-time world surfing champion Tom Carroll and his daughter Mimi, and Los Angeles-based Australian musician Ry Cuming. Tasman presented a cricket bat and ball to the local Mentawai children.
Guests were welcomed by kindergarten students from the hamlet of Mongan Bosua, who performed a traditional Mentawai dance.
To great applause, Quiksilver Global Brand Ambassador, Bruce Raymond, said the centre was a gift from the Quiksilver Foundation to the Mentawai people.
"The centre was inspired by the Quiksilver Crossing and its mission, which came here to Katiet, and we would like to thank the Mentawai Government for all their support," he said. "And without the wonderful work of the SurfAid people, none of this would have been possible."
Community Care Groups - groups of local mothers who take SurfAid training on health and hygiene into the homes - presented dramas about malaria and health, and the opening festivities concluded with singing and dancing, which went well into the night.
Stage one of the centre, which is positioned on a 2,000 square metre site bounded by river and ocean frontage, includes vitamin gardens and a retrofitted, healthy house.
The house has been opened up to increase airflow and provide natural cooling and has been reinforced to help withstand earthquakes. It has a clay oven and chimney to remove smoke from the house, which is unusual in the Mentawai. There is also a photo exhibition of SurfAid's work throughout the Mentawai and Nias islands.
The next stage of the centre will open next year and it includes an earthquake-resistant building so that the Mentawai people can learn how to build safer homes from local materials. The region was devastated by two major earthquakes, measuring 8.4 and 7.9 on the Richter scale, in September this year.
Environmental builder Matt King is living on site and working with builders from the local community to create the new living centre as a healthy home and garden environment for the locals to duplicate throughout the Mentawai and Nias islands.
Quiksilver Foundation The Quiksilver Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to benefiting and enhancing the quality of life for communities of boardriders across the world by supporting environmental, educational, health and youth-related projects.
SurfAid International The mission of SurfAid International, a non-profit humanitarian aid organization, is to improve the health of people living in isolated regions connected to us through surfing. SurfAid is incorporated in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, with the program base in Tuapejat, the regional capital of the Mentawai Islands, off West Sumatra, Indonesia. SurfAid is the recipient of the 2007 WANGO (World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations) Humanitarian Award.
For further information please contact:
Kirk Willcox SurfAid International Communications Director Email: kirk@surfaidinternational.org Office: +62 751 32 964 (in Padang, West Sumatra) Mobile: +62 812 663 4937 Website: www.surfaidinternational.org
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