Strengthening Aceh Maternal Care thru Staff Homes

Daer Donors,

This past quarter focused on the planning and approvals needed before construction can begin on six permanent staff housing units at Bumi Sehat Aceh. While little visible construction progress has yet taken place, these early stages are essential to ensure the project moves forward efficiently and meets all local requirements.

Our team has been working to finalise planning processes, coordinate preparations, and lay the groundwork for construction. We are pleased to report that no major challenges or delays were encountered during this period, allowing the project to remain on schedule.

Once completed, the six two-bedroom family homes will replace temporary wooden accommodation that has housed some staff and their families since the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. Providing safe, secure, and permanent housing will help retain experienced midwives, nurses, and support staff, ensuring they can continue delivering compassionate healthcare to thousands of women, babies, and families across Aceh.

We are deeply grateful to our donors for making this project possible. Your support is helping create lasting stability not only for the dedicated healthcare workers who serve this community every day, but also for the families who rely on their care. We look forward to sharing construction progress in our next update.

with love and gratitude, 

Ibut Robin Lim and Team Bumi Sehat Aceh

This project addresses a critical, long-standing need for secure housing for staff at Bumi Sehat Aceh. Nearly two decades after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, many healthcare workers and their families continue to live in temporary wooden structures originally built as emergency shelter. Research shows the tsunami caused prolonged disruption to housing and land tenure in Aceh, with many families facing unresolved land rights and delayed reconstruction for years afterward.

The goal of this large-scale project is to construct six permanent two-bedroom family homes on clinic grounds, providing safe, dignified housing and ensuring staff can remain close to their work. Stable housing is essential to retaining skilled midwives, nurses, and support staff in a region where healthcare access is already limited.

To date, $300 has been raised toward this goal. While this is an early stage for a project of this scale, it represents an important beginning. Building permanent housing requires sustained fundraising, and this initiative is expected to progress over time.

Importantly, even at this stage, the project sends a clear message to staff: their wellbeing matters, and Bumi Sehat is committed to supporting their long-term stability. This reassurance is vital for morale and retention.

By investing in staff housing, Bumi Sehat is strengthening the foundation of care in Aceh—ensuring continuity of maternal and child health services for the community well into the future.

In Gratitude,

Love & Blessings, 
Ibu Robin Lim & Team Bumi Sehat Aceh