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An Indonesian prays in a shelter in Segoroyoso village in earthquake-hit Bantul. (Reuters).
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SUNGATAN, Indonesia – Dressed in simple wedding
dresses, two Indonesian couple who survived the powerful quake that
rattled the world's most populous Muslim country decided to tie the
knot, though they have no place to live in, as young children start
the long recovery with playtime.
"It is good according to our religion that we
marry like this, but in reality, we will have no house to
occupy," the 35-year-old groom, Sumadi, told Agence France-Presse
(AFP).
"I am sad, I cannot deny it," he noted.
Both Sumadi and his bride Nuryanti wore simple
wedding dresses -- nothing like the elaborately adorned garb usually
reserved for such occasions.
"Of course I am happy, but at the same time I
am sad," said the bride.
A group of young neighbors played music and chanted
songs to the beats of a few tambourines, not the usual brass gong
orchestra.
The couple, who officially tied the knot in the
local mosque, remain unable to say how they will face the future.
The bride said fellow residents of the village of
Sungatan in hard-hit Bantul district helped organize the wedding.
Tens of thousands of homeless prepared for their
eighth night out in the open under makeshift tents, while others went
into their second week awaiting treatment at overwhelmed hospitals.
The United Nations has said it was in a race
against time to help survivors still struggling to get food, shelter
and urgent medical care.
The 6.3-magnitude quake killed more than 6,200
people in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces on Java island.
Recreation
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Indonesian children play at a children UNICEF center. (Reuters).
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Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund has set up
recreation centers for Indonesian children to help them recover after
last week's quake.
"For the past week, the children here have not
had a normal life. They've been confronted with constant stress,"
said Rhama, who works at one of six UNICEF children's centers in the
quake zone.
"Here, we can welcome them to a place that is
safe."
The UN Children's Fund estimates that 40 percent of
the tens of thousands wounded or displaced by last week's quake are
children, and 15 percent of those are under the age of five.
Since Tuesday, May 30, the agency has set up
recreation centers, including one in hard-hit Bantul town, that
provide 100 children a day with a temporary respite from the
destruction.
"There are very few serious cases of
post-traumatic stress due to the earthquake," maintained Ayda
Idoia Eke, who is heading the UNICEF project.
"Only five percent of the children are
suffering from shock. Some of them refuse to speak, others cry and
some won't even go into any kind of structure with a roof," she
said.
"But for all of the children, the earthquake
will have psychosocial consequences."
Playtime
"The parents who send their children to the
UNICEF tents don't have the time to take care of their kids right now,
as their top priority is to put a roof over their heads," said
Erry, an Indonesian teacher at the Bantul center.
Children at the UNICEF-run recreation center at
first hesitated to stay, wanting to be near their mothers.
"But eventually, they come alone. And then
they ask if they can come again," added Erry.
Outside, three young boys kick around a football,
arguing about who is the best player in the world.
Francisco votes for star French forward Thierry
Henry and Brazilian striker Ronaldo.
They fellow Tita says his favorite is Bambang
Pamungkas, the best Indonesian football player.
Tita says he "has a good time" playing at
the UNICEF center, explaining that he gets bored at his house, which
is still standing but has no power.
In a sign that life may slowly be getting back to
normal, he says his biggest worry is not being able to follow the
World Cup, which begins later this week.
