Photos and text by Vina Agustina, International Federation in Aceh, Indonesia
"I am so happy that I can continue my studies," says Mahdia, a huge grin spreading across his face. "I can't imagine not going to school."
Twelve year old Mahdia is one of 5,000 young tsunami survivors in Aceh who have received a Red Cross scholarship, a small allowance to ensure that they can continue their education.
The Secondary Education Cash Assistance Programme (SECAP) was established by the Irish Red Cross and the Indonesian Red Cross (Palang Merah Indonesia - PMI) in January 2006 and provides funding for secondary school students from low-income families affected by the tsunami, helping them to complete their studies.
Mahdia and his three younger brothers lost their parents in the tsunami. Although Mahdia was anxious to keep his family together, it wasn't possible and two of his brothers went to live with relatives. But Mahdia did manage to convince authorities to let him continue to look after his youngest brother, who was only seven months old at the time of the tsunami.
The two boys are now living with an 'adopted' grandmother - a kindly old woman who has taken them in and looked after them.
Every morning, Mahdia wakes early and sets about doing housework. He then looks after his younger brother, making sure that he gets dressed and has breakfast. He then gets himself ready for school.
He always arrives at school early, despite the fact that school is about six kilometres from his house, a journey that takes him an hour. Because the roads are so bad, there is no bus for him to catch and so he has to walk.
"I walk to the school in my bare feet. The road is bad and I don't want to wear out my shoes. If it rains all day and night, then I will not come to school because the path gets flooded and is dangerous to pass."
Nurhaliah is the headmaster of Mahdia's school. "He is a diligent student," she says. "I always see him coming to school early and putting his shoes on at the front gate. He does not use his shoes when he walks down the mountain because the family he lives with now is poor and cannot afford to buy new shoes all the time."
This is the kind of thing that SECAP funds can be used for, explains Mukhlis Abdullah, Field Coordinator for the programme.
"The students receive approximately US$250 per year which is distributed every three months through a local bank," he says. "They can use the money to buy things like shoes, uniforms, books and to meet other expenses without having to worry about whether or not their family or guardians are able to afford them."
But diligent and conscientious Mahdia is sheepish when asked if he is going to buy new shoes.
"I have bought new a school bag and books," Mahdia admits shyly.
This month, 800 students enrolled in the programme will graduate from high school and will no longer receive the cash assistance at university level. The SECAP team is currently assessing and selecting new students to take part in the programme. Three thousand potential new candidates have already been nominated by their schools and village leaders.