FROM afar the houses built in traditional Acehnese architecture look OK, firm and strong, the main parts supported by wooden stilts the size of a mans legs. Lined up neatly in Masjid village, Pante Raja, Pidie, the houses were donated by British non-governmental organization Save the Children.

Comfortable? Thats what they look like at a glance. But on closer inspection defects in many parts of the houses can be found: the walls are cracked, some