In the evening of September 28, the city of Palu in Central Sulawesi of Indonesia was struck by a major natural disaster. An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude that led to a 3-meter high tsunami that hit the city and its surrounding, destructing all buildings and washing everything that is in its way. More than 2000 people are confirmed dead. I gathered the Indonesian community in South Philly for a vigil, collected donation close to $3000 but I feel that we can do more!

With my own funding, I’m about to embark on an exploratory visit to Palu on Sulawesi. I would like to be on the ground to see the conditions there several months after the earthquake and tsunami that ripped the land apart. I also want to learn about the ways in which the inhabitants of Palu themselves are re-claiming community and to observe how the benefits from outside partnerships and assistance have helped them.
Maroso means “strong” in Pamonian, my native language