Aceh

Channelnewsasia.com:

"Before the tsunami, it used to cost 2,000 rupiah per square metre, now it is 8,000 rupiah.

NGOs such as the Salvation Army and Mercy Corp were even quoted 15,000 rupiah per square metre for the housing projects they were proposing."

Aceh. The place we all talked about. We still do. The people of Aceh are not forgotten and their courage, spirit and resilience have been tested beyond imagination. They are still there. They are living in overcrowed conditions, some in tents. There is no real work and they are still rained on and still have earth tremors. These people have taken so much and survived so much. Some are grateful that they do not have to live in tents. This puts so much into perspective. It has been hard to resolve because their area still has problems from a biodiversity point of view and it would be silly to go ahead building and changing if it is all going to be shaken down or washed away with all the rains. 10,000 people are part of the NGO cash for work programmes. If only things could move along faster. Today we saw a school that was built by Troy Broadbridge's widow and football team in Thailand. That was a good story to see. Aceh hasn't has it so easy because the land is unstable. I look forward to hearing the good news from Aceh in the not too distant future and maybe see them in some swish pole houses.