The Sailing of the Elephant Child

The Sailing of the Elephant Child - Project Concern International

It’s hot, but there’s a breeze. Only the breeze brings smells I’ve rarely smelled before and never want to again: death and decay. The boat is beautiful. The sky is blue. It hasn’t rained once since I arrived in Banda Aceh 2 days ago. Our boat is called “The Elephant Child” and it’s a colorful fishing vessel, one just like many others you see around here either half submerged in mucky water, or crushed into rubble, floundering like a beached and broken whale up on the street, little sticks of wood tossed by the force of the tsunami in places where boats were never meant to be....

There are 200 blue packets, burritos of insecticide treated tarps with all kinds of goodies stuffed inside: food, cooking utensils, clothing, hygiene kits, blankets, buckets, and shelter materials....Normally a week is a relatively short period of time, but in this post-tsunami world, everything can change in a few days…