By Teresita P. Usapdin in Banda Aceh
Psychologists Intan Dewi Keumata and Marwan A. Hasibuan's radio programme is a mixture of chat and music. But behind the entertainment lies a more serious purpose: the show is an important element of a Red Cross Red Crescent programme to help the people of Banda Aceh come to terms with the trauma of the tsunami.
Intan Dewi and Marwan engage in casual conversation about life and how to cope with various situations. They reel off anecdotes, share jokes and play music. In short, they try to lighten up what otherwise could be a serious programme, one which broadcasts tsunami operation updates in Banda Aceh.
The most important part of the programme, however, is when the hosts receive calls from listeners seeking advice.
One caller was a teacher who lost her three children in the tsunami. Her husband blamed her for it and later left her. After listening to the teacher's story, Intan Dewi and Marwan gave their advice over the airwaves, followed by a love song. A few days later, the teacher showed up at the studio, her husband by her side, to inform the presenters that they had reconciled, in part thanks to advice from the radio programme.
Some people can talk freely about their horrifying tsunami experience, and often feel relieved when they have done so. Others, though, prefer to keep the nightmare to themselves.
In many cases, explains psychologist Intan Dewi Keumata, those who tend to avoid talking about their terrible ordeal, are likely the ones who were most deeply traumatized and are, therefore, more vulnerable to psychological stress.
"Indonesia bore the brunt of the tsunami and I am sure there are hundreds of these silent sufferers who are in urgent need of counselling," says Intan Dewi Keumata who has been providing psychological help to tsunami-stricken families in the Aceh Besar Lhokgna region of Aceh province, with support from the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and in partnership with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), as well as the International Federation.
"We must reach out to them the best way we can before they suffer from nervous breakdown."
The urge to reach out to those who are suffering in silence, even without the benefit of seeing them physically, is what prompted Intan Dewi and fellow psychologist Marwan A. Hasibuan to air their one-hour radio programme every Tuesday and Saturday.
"It is heart-warming to know you have touched the lives of people in distress. But you feel more elated when you've brought back together two people in love who were separated as a consequence of a disaster," says Marwan, his eyes sparkling.
Marwan said that, apart from the teacher and her husband, many listeners may have benefited from the radio programme, since most people in Banda Aceh tune in to Suara Aceh Radio Durarat to keep up to date with the post-disaster situation.
The initial target of the Red Cross Red Crescent psychological support programme was to reach 12,545 people living in 18 camps for the displaced. In the months of March and April, it had benefited a total of 13,604 persons, including over 5,000 children.
Counselling and stress debriefing is conducted at 24 camps, 17 schools, and nine barracks in eight villages in Lhokgna region by 10 local psychologists, including Intan Dewi and Merwan, two psychologist delegates from TRC, supported by locally-trained PMI volunteers.
As well as the various psychological activities, there are a number of social activities such as games, reading and writing, puzzle solving, drawing and colouring for children, cooking and handicrafts for women and sports tournaments for men.
The purpose of these activities, according to Meric Gozden, a social worker from the Turkish Red Crescent, is to mobilize the community and divert their attention from their trauma to something more positive. "We and the local psychologists and volunteers only serve as facilitators. The beneficiaries are the ones who really organize and get things done."
"It is amazing how the people here are coping," said TRC psychologist Oznur Acicbe. "Everyone is very cooperative. Everyone is enthusiastic about sharing his or her talents. Everyone contributes to the decision-making. The children, especially, are simply fantastic. You can see from their drawings how sensitive and intelligent they are," added Oznur, who revealed that the first time they asked the children to draw whatever came into their minds, most produced illustrations of big waves or dark skies and seas.
Later, however, after a few stress debriefing sessions, story-telling and games, the children began to draw flowers, trees, houses and illustrations of children playing. "It is really amazing how children are able to relate their feelings to their environment. I wish I was a child again," Oznur quips.
Meric and Oznur said the Turkish Red Crescent chose to lead the psychological support programme to help the people of Aceh because they have a profound understanding of how psychologically displaced people can feel after a major disaster. Turkey has been hit by a number of large earthquakes, including one at Izmit in 1999 which left over 17,000 people dead and thousands more traumatized.
To ensure the continuity of the programme, the TRC is putting up a community centre in Banda Aceh to accommodate all psychological support projects - from experience sharing to training, to games and other recreational activities.
The centre will be donated later to PMI to further build its capacity in the field of psychological support. "Psychological support is always the first step to recovery," Ornuz stressed. "Other material aid follows."
Both TRC delegates said language and cultural difference have never been a problem. "Even if we don't comprehend exactly what people are saying, we fully understand how they feel," said Oznur. "Their eyes say it all."