Bankers’ hours have never sounded so good to Brook Weisman-Ross.
The assistant vice president in cash management for Citizens Bank returned in late June from a three-month paid sabbatical in the Indonesian province of Banda Aceh, the area hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami on Dec. 26. He worked as a volunteer and project manager for Plan USA, a Warwick-based children’s organization that has committed five years in Indonesia to help with recovery efforts.
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His typical days began at 7 a.m. and lasted until about 3 a.m.
Weisman-Ross lived in Indonesia two other times in his life and has a love for the people there that immediately motivated him to help. He is fluent in Indonesian, has a background in medical anthropology, management skills and familiarity with the culture and environment there.
When Weisman-Ross flew to Indonesia in March, he knew he was walking into a disaster zone. Half the city of Banda Aceh was totally leveled by the tsunami, and many people in outlying villages still weren’t receiving water.
“Some places were getting deliveries of food, but they didn’t have pots or stoves to cook it on,” he said. One village had only three kerosene stoves for 200 to 300 people. To get water, they had to walk to the city and buy bottled water – and they had no money.
“We started helping them rebuild the wells and made sure they had a daily delivery of water,” he said.
Weisman-Ross said he and his group focused on people’s immediate needs – food, cooking, medical supplies and water. Once they had that, the attention shifted to finding more sustainable solutions for the people affected by the disaster – getting them tools and fishing nets so they could work again.
“There was a constant flow of people coming in asking for help,” Weisman-Ross said.
Plan USA is currently working to rebuild schools in the region. Weisman-Ross said some children are still sitting on the ground, learning in tents that serve as schools.
When Weisman-Ross first got there, he was a volunteer and Plan USA was working with 10 communities. After a month, he was appointed director of operations of Plan Indonesia.
“I was able to help them strategically expand,” Weisman-Ross said. Plan now works with 40 communities on the island of Sumatra.
And while Plan initially only had plans to rebuild three schools, the need there was so great that Weisman-Ross said they are about to break ground on 12 schools.
“I think it will probably take at least three years until all the people have a basic house again and a local source of water,” Weisman-Ross said. He estimates it will take at least 10 years for the economy there to recover.
“The people there know how to work, they just need the materials to do it,” he said.
Along the coast of Sumatra where Weisman-Ross worked, most villages lost about 30 percent of their residents. In some, that number was as high as 80 percent.
“Every person you meet there has been directly affected by this,” Weisman-Ross said.
To illustrate the extent of the destruction, Weisman-Ross said the area destroyed and the number of people affected would be the same as if the entire state of Rhode Island were leveled.
“If you destroyed every house in the state, where do you start to rebuild?” Weisman-Ross asked.
After assessing the needs of the communities there, Weisman-Ross began helping them develop strategic rebuilding plans for Plan to follow over the next few years.
“Emotionally, it was just as horrific as I expected,” Weisman-Ross said. “But there were many days that at the end of the day, I thought it was the best day of my life. It was equally the best and worst experience of my life.”
Weisman-Ross said he’s determined to stay involved with Plan now that he’s home, in part to ease the guilt he feels about no longer being able to help hands-on.
“It’s a real change” to be back home. “It’s nonstop there. When I first got home, I felt guilty about sleeping two or three hours a night. I felt like people were waiting for me to help them.”
Now Weisman-Ross said he’s been invited to speak at several events about his experience in Banda Aceh and the needs that still exist there.
“One of the biggest things I can do right now is keep awareness up,” he said.
Those who want to donate to the relief effort in Indonesia can send donations to Plan USA, Indonesia Fund, 155 Plan Way, Warwick, RI 02886; call 800-556-7918 or visit www.PlanUSA.org and specify the Indonesia Fund.
