October 2nd, 2018 was the second day after the earthquake and tsunami in Palu. Our consciousness had not been fully recovered. “We were all still trembling,” Sisilia Labarohima said.
She recalled talking to Nurlaela Lamasitudju (Ella).
“Sissy, can you establish a soup kitchen? The volunteers need to eat too.”
“Yes, Kak Ella. For how many people? 50?”
“At least 300 per day.”
“Goodness grace…. So many!”
So on the 5th day, we opened the aftermath soup kitchen right at the front yard of Solidaritas Korban Pelanggaran (SKP) HAM’s secretariat. (Solidarity for Victims of Human Rights Violation)
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Belasan tungku api kayu dibikin. Panci, wajan, biar penyok akibat gempa, dikumpulkan. Beras, ikan, sayur, sumbangan dari berbagai penjuru datang, terutama dr Indonesia untuk Kemanusiaan.
Tens of wooden fire stove were created. Woks, kettles, doesn’t matter how bad the condition was, were collected. Rice, fish, vegetables contributed by everyone, especially coming from Indonesia Untuk Kemanusiaan (Indonesia for Humanity) group.
Unexpectedly, many people came to the kitchen. Volunteers of evacuation, data collectors, psychologists, journalists, activists, even local Government officials came. Mind you, no food stalls were open. “They came here to eat and share information too,” Ella said.
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The soup kitchen opened for 24 hours. “There were 2 to 3 sacks of rice which we could cook,” Sissy said. Tens of volunteers helped. “Chopping onions, cutting vegetables, cooking the rice. Oh, and no instant noodles here. We cooked grilled fish, fried fish, and kaledo soup.”
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Towards the afternoon, the soup kitchen team sent special meals for elderly citizens who lived in emergency tents. “We sent a full meal with vegetables, protein, and fruit. A hundred portions each day for the elderly citizens.” Sissy explained.
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In the evening, when people started to take a rest, some volunteers would share stories with each other. There were stories about conflict with the parents, the victims of 65 incident shared a story about the stigma they experienced until that very moment, some told a story about them being survivors of domestic violence and many more. “We hugged each other.”
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Hugging is a body language expressing that the hugged person is important. “At first, I didn’t believe that there is a positive energy in a hug and sharing stories. Turned out, there was.” Sissy, who is also a survivor of domestic violence, said. “Usually I listen to their stories while thinking ‘what do I have to cook tomorrow?’ hahaha.”
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SKP HAM’s soup kitchen went on for three months after the earthquake. It had become the glue of solidarity and the space for stories from survivors of this disaster in Palu.⠀
