Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini urged hundreds of Mount Sinabung eruption refugees in Siosar Relocation Area, Siosar village, Karo district, North Sumatra province, to rise from the economic downturn caused by the disaster.

“Remember, God will not change the fate of his people, unless they are willing to change,” she remarked on Friday.

She also interacted with around 370 refugees who have been living in the relocation area since the disaster struck in 2015.

Most of them were mothers and children who asked for social assistance from the government, for instance, direct cash assistance (BLT), basic food assistance, and the Family Hope Program (PKH).

They also told the minister about their family members who had suffered a stroke or other ailments.

Rismaharini encouraged them to start home-based businesses to increase their welfare and shared her experience in implementing a self-reliance program with the Surabaya community.

When she was Surabaya Mayor, she said her office helped residents take up chicken and vegetable farming and their harvests were absorbed by hotels in the city.

She also recounted how a housewife successfully paid off hundreds of million rupiahs in debt by becoming a baker after learning baking from cookbooks provided by the local public library.

“My goal in coming here is to increase people’s income,” she remarked.

Thus, if any of the Mount Sinabung refugees can do weaving, the Social Affairs Ministry will procure the machines to make ulos—traditional cloth of the Batak people, she said.

“If you have no idea on where to sell the product, I will take care of it,” the minister added.

Furthermore, she handed compensation of Rp15 million each to four heirs of deceased eruption victims, and Rp5 million each to injured victims.

In addition, she disbursed other assistance worth Rp513,081,567 in the form of basic necessities, toddler’s meals, kids’ wares, blankets, beds, mattresses, roll tents, and multipurpose tents.

Source: Antara News