However, from such calamity arises a miracle -- one of humanity where with only that handful of rice and bits of food, Syahruddin's wife cooks broth to feed not only their family of five but also some 30 victims seeking shelter at his house since Dec 31.

Syahruddin even invites his guests, who took four days to walk the 120km from the holocaust of their own village in Aceh Jaya, to eat, and drink coffee without sugar, full of remorse for not being able to provide something more substantial.

It is not only food that Syahruddin shares with the victims, either, everything the family has to offer, including clothes, are offered to those he deems lost more than he could ever imagine.

Meanwhile, victim Shamsuddin, 43, leader of the five families squatting at Syahruddin's house, told Bernama that they had planned to seek shelter at the camp in the compound of the TVRI station but found it full.

"I am related to Syahruddin, so I came here. The others, however, are friends who followed me as their houses were totally flattened. There are no more people left in the village as everyone was swallowed by the waves," he said.

In the days following the tsunami, aid like food and clean water were not immediately forthcoming, especially for those whose houses are still standing, but Syahruddin is not bitter about being overlooked.

"Those at the camps need more attention. I am still able to forage for any food from the nearby stores so that all of us can eat," said Syahruddin, who is a reporter with the ANTARA news agency.

This is not an isolated case, either, as around Banda Aceh, once known as the Veranda of Mecca, many families are opening their homes, their hands and their hearts to those whose only fault is being in the way of Mother Nature's wrath.

Setting aside thoughts of the freedom, the privacy and the wealth of food they once enjoyed in their own homes, hundreds of people are offering shelter, and more importantly, solace, to the survivors.

Aid, of course, is now pouring in from all over the world, reaching even the remote areas which were initially completely cut off.

As said by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the special meeting of Asean heads of state in Jakarta last week, the world greeted 2005 with the golden opportunity to prove their humanity.

Proved it they have, but in this small corner of the world, it is the miracle of humanity shown in Banda Aceh, above all others, that is so touching.

Not the millions in cash donated without blinking from rich nations -- it is the giving, with nothing left to give, all because someone needs it more.

-- BERNAMA