Prior to the 27 May earthquake, which
rocked Yogjakarta province and Central Java provinces on the island
of Java, Indonesia, Mursihono lived with her husband and two sons
in a modest home in the village of Semail, pronounced
‘smile’, in Bantul district. The family got by on the
money she made from selling vegetables at a sidewalk stand and
income from her carpenter husband.

Mursihono was preparing rice on the morning of
the disaster when earth suddenly started heaving, sending objects
crashing to the floor.

“It was a total mess and I was just
confused,” she said.

While her family managed to escape a wall had
collapsed on her leg, pinning her to the floor. The tremors lasted
about a minute, leaving the house in ruins. Her sons then
frantically tried to clear the debris to rescue her.

“When I was still trapped under the
wall, I didn’t really feel anything, but when my sons found
me and moved my body, I felt so much pain,” said
Mursihono.

She waited ten hours for help with her family
by her side before the police arrived and took her to Bethesda
hospital in Yogjakarta, 40 minutes from her village.

For seven days, Mursihono received medical
treatment for a fractured leg. 

”All the medical staff in the hospital
were kind and attentive. I also ate well. But of course, I still
wanted to return home and see my family and neighbours as soon as
possible,” she said.

She was discharged from the hospital on 3 June
and along with her son who sat by her bedside as she recovered, was
returned home with IOM’s assistance.

The sight of her family brought tears to her
eyes but the initial joy was short lived as she began to think
about the daunting task ahead for her and the new challenges her
family now face.

“I don’t know what to do now, but
we just hope that there will be help from the government and other
organizations like IOM,” she said.