In the early morning hours of March 26, 2005 (3 months after the 9.3 earth quake and subsequent tsunami to the region), a 8.7 quake hit the small Indonesian island of Nias.

Asleep under a kerosene lantern (the source of light for the poor in this country), a young man was awakened to flames and pain when the lantern fell on top of him. His hands, face, neck and chest suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

Apolo survived this terrible ordeal, but was too ill to be moved from his remote, mountainous village for many months. There were no doctors available, no pain medication, no running water or toilets...in an area where even food is limited to the point that meals are only eaten twice a day and consist of wild carrots the size of a pencil and wild greens (no rice, fish or meat). Many suffer malnutrition. There is a small school 3 km away, but most children did not attend past grade 3. The nearest middle school is 7 km away. This is a very remote and harsh mountainous area.

It would be 4 months before Apolo was well enough to make the trip down the mountain (a 2 hour walk , which includes crossing a large river) and then a 5 hour ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi to the capital city. There he stayed at a handicapped center while he waited for help. Help would come much later for him.
NLLB first heard about Apolo in March of 2006. Linley went there to see him and organized surgery to be done in Jakarta. Apolo made the journey to Jakarta and stayed with the York family for several months while he recovered his graft surgery.

Apolo has to learn about electicity/running water/toilets and city life. He was soon a part of the family and helping with what he could. A disaster hit Central Java and he was actively involved in packing medical supplies. One of the things that Linley noticed in his village was the problem of TB. She organized Apolo to be trained as a REMOTE TB WORKER to help combat the TB problems in his remote area. NLLB supplied TB medicines for the entire 6 month course, which Apolo would deliver on a weekly basis. He returned to Nias and treated 7 TB victims in his village.. including one that required him to walk 12 km every week to provide treatment. All of those he treated did very well and survived.

The village were concerned about the children walking 3 km to a local elementary school and requested NLLB build a school. We did not build the school as requested, however NLLB helped them develop a plan where they could build a school on their own and provide teachers from their village. In the process we were able to teach them the importance of avoiding deforestation while using trees to build, so as to not leave an area absent of all trees which could be prone to mudslides during Monsoon. Apolo in fact had completed High School (away at a boarding house on another island). He was the only High School graduate in the village. Two other young men had completed Junior High. These three would become the first teachers of the newly built school.

Within 6 months the village had their own school and local teachers. Schoolbooks were supplied. The school had a grass roof and dirt floor. The children sat on the floor. Used uniforms were shipped to them. Within 3 yrs the village had received approval by the Government as a recognized school and they became government funded, although Apolo and the other 2 teachers lost their jobs to Gov't teachers. This opened the door to new possibilities. Apolo married a girl from a nearby village. This is a big event as he was a man with burn scars, but he was a man with respect in his village.

A small church women's group in Michigan gave Apolo a $500 gift. With this he and his wife started the only small shop in the village, selling basic necessities like coffee, sugar, eggs. He and his wife currently have 4 children and are very happy. Their youngest is a girl named Linley. The NLLB not only provided surgery for Apolo, but we helped provide an opportunity for him to have a full life with possibilities! It is always our plan to provide for future independence and respect for those we help.

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APOLO IS A SUCCESS STORY!