Children from Mblali

23 July 2006 - After the earthquake in central Java almost two months ago, many children had to live on without some of their familymembers, friends from school, or no school at all. Just to compensate this a little bit, a group of fifty children who have found shelter in the village of Mblali - just south of the town of Bantul - were taken to Gabusan for Hari Anak Nasional (National Childrens Day) which was celebrated here with music and dance.

		The central field The field near the village of Mblali was the center of many tent shelters and medical access. ...			Fifty names Fifty names ...			Waiting to leave Novi is waiting until the bus is leaving for Gabusan, being one of the first to sign ...
		Fun in the bus A bunch of children on the back seat of the bus seem to get along very well, ...			National Childrens Day Arriving at Gabusan, on the location of an art-market (the building that is part of the complex ...			Buying Pop Es One of 'our' kids, a foundation from Yogyakarta brought these children here, buys a Pop Es, a ...
		Buying Bakso tusuk Others opted to go for basko tusuk, meatballs, but without the regular bowl of soup, vegetables and ...			In a tent Children can wait as no other, here they under a well-protecting roof, because outside they would be ...			Colorful walls The walls that surround the area of the art-market are partially decorated with bright-colored paintings, with objects ...
		Children performing Under a burning hot sun, wearing a costume and a hat, these kids were sweating, nevertheless they ...			Children performing These children also performed their extensive dance before they are rewarded a drink and applause. The children ...			Bare feet On their bare feet the perform the dance, these concrete blocks of paving tend to get pretty ...
		Hundreds of children Several hundred of children watched the performances of other children from around the area of Bantul. Sometimes ...			Singing songs No official day without some nationalistic songs, today no diffence. However there is a flag behind the ...			Playing a fight Two groups of children form a mini-tower. The purpose of this game is to pull of or ...
		Allowed to play After a few hours of sitting, it's time to let the children play some as well. The ...			Throwing rocks Throwing rocks, or rooftiles for that matter, is fun to. However I was supposed to look after ...			Girls are watching Some of the girls watch the boy fishing. They catch two small fish, but release them anyway ...
		Back in the bus After their lunch is finished and they got to play around a little bit longer, it's ...			All in the bus Fifty little children in a small bus is possible very well possible, don't ask about the noise ...			Near the window It takes three children to fill two chairs, and some can sit on the floor. Like their ...
		Back 'home' again Back on the central field the children get their last hadiah (present), a bag of Taro chips, ...