“My house was only meters away from the path where flood water passed,” said Asmia, who, like many Indonesians, uses one name. At the refugee camp, “it was miserable,” she said. However, in Indonesia, where patriarchal culture is deeply rooted, women’s roles are habitually diminished, and women are often overlooked in many fields of work. “Women are often left out and not allowed to do many roles in Aceh, especially at the village level.”While it required months of discussion, the village leaders were eventually convinced to let the women become rangers. A name was picked for the initiative: Mpu Euteun, or someone who looks after the forest.

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Persons: ”, Asmia, “, Damaran Baru, Rubama, Mpu Organizations: Nature, Environment Aceh Foundation Locations: Damaran, Indonesia, Aceh, Indonesian