After spending a couple of weeks assessing the situation in Indonesia after a major earthquake hit on September 30th, Hands On have announced a relief effort. The earthquake struck in Sumatra killing at least 1,100 people and severely injuring over 1,200 and severely damaging around 135,000 houses. The earthquake affected an estimated 250,000 families (1,250,000 people) through either total or partial loss of their home or livelihood, or both.

The brunt of the devastation both in property and lives was felt in the areas around Padang and that is where Hands On are basing their project. They have done two previous projects after earthquakes, one in Jogjakarta, Indonesia in 2006 and one in Peru in 2007. The work during those projects focused mainly on knocking down unsafe structures with sledge hammers and removing the rubble with shovels and wheelbarrows. A few of my friends volunteered in Peru and say the work is even harder than it was in Haiti and, going by the numbers of damaged homes, there will be plenty of work to keep us all busy.

Anyone who reads my blog knows how much I love this organisation. They’re completely transparent, they have no religious agenda, they see their volunteers as their greatest asset and look to us for input and ideas, they choose meaningful work after speaking with the community and determining their needs, the staff are great people, they attract interesting volunteers who are passionate about helping and they even give you a free t-shirt! I am hooked and can’t wait to get there.

Having volunteered with Hands On in Haiti and Bangladesh, I know plenty of people that are planning to volunteer in Indonesia. As a solo traveller who is perpetually wandering around the world, having a family of sorts to meet up with once or twice a year is great. So I’m excited to see old friends and I’m even more excited to get involved with the small local community and to get my hands dirty again.

Adding to all of the excitement is that my next stop after Indonesia is Southern Africa. The semi-plan is to fly into Cape Town and then travel around for a few months in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe doing a bit of Couchsurfing and maybe volunteering on a farm or two. In June it’s World Cup time and you will find me in the stands with my Australian buddies who tore up Beijing with me during the Olympics. Then more travels around Africa, possibly working my way up the east coast before heading into the Middle East. Maybe.

It’s shaping up to be an amazing year and for the first time for awhile I’m excited to hit the road. As always, if anyone thinks they’ll cross paths with me, get in touch and lets meet up! Or better yet, come lend a hand in Indonesia. We’ll be there until at least February and I guarantee you a life-changing experience.

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