Building in Banda Aceh

This team had raised $8000 to build two new homes approximately 400 sq ft each. The team consisted of four men and one woman. It was their first time to visit Indonesia and the tsunami affected area of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra Island. Each of these team members had previous experience building in Central American countries. During these prior trips they would enter a village and start a project from the beginning and complete it within 7-14 days. However, this trip would be different. Before we arrived local workers had laid the foundations of four homes. Our job was to mainly assist the local workers and to get as much done in the four days of work that we would be there. This was a new concept for our team. They were very gracious to work side by side with the local workers and to take direction from them. During the first day the team helped lay concrete forms that would be the base for the brick walls. On days two and three, the team managed to lay two of the brick walls on the first house. The working conditions were very hot. The sun beat down on the team almost constantly. There were times of reprieve thanks to cloud cover. One team member was stricken with a mild case of heat stroke. On the last day the team presented gifts to the local workers they had worked with. Basic tools, including a hammer, saw, tape measure, etc, were graciously received by the men. In addition, a large cement mixer was purchased for the construction ministry that will help them to build faster. Although the team did not work as long on the ground as they had in other places, they appreciated the time they did spend working and communicating with the local workers.