Every morning at 05.00, Hendro (37 years), a member staff of emergency kitchen in Marunda flat, boils 100 liters of water. By the time the water is ready, the refugees are lining up to get hot tea, coffee, or instant cereal for breakfast.
In one day, activists of Disaster Emergency Response (Tagana) boil water four to five times in the emergency kitchen equipped with gas stove, two 100-liter pots and two 30-liter pots. They also provide dozens kilograms of sugar, coffee, tea, and instant cereal.
When the tea, coffee and water are ready, the activists put them in 20-liter transparent teapots and line them orderly in a long table. Beside the teapots, there are dozens of small plastic glasses. Everyone who needs drink can take the glass and pour the drink they want.
Hendro and his friend, Andi Arifin (42 years), can barely sleep since they have worked in the kitchen. They started to work when flood refugees came to the flat last week. They sleep on the floor with tarpaulin turnt to be mat and be friend with anti-mosquito lotion.
The emergency kitchen is open for 24 hours. Boiling water and making tea and coffee may sound easy. But, when they have to make hundreds, easy is not the proper word.
They must also make mung bean porridge every two day. Hendro starts making it at 24.00 so that it can be ready at 05.00. "If I start at 03.00, I will be late," he said.
They work side by side with activists who provide food in general kitchen. Both are important for the life of refugees in Marunda flat. Hendro said they would be there until February 27.
They sometimes feel weary with their job, but the children who live in the flat always make them happy. Playing with them relieves their burden. Yet, no matter how exhausted, they might be luckier compared to the people they help.
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