Simeulue is located close to the epicentre of the December 26 2004 earthquake. Thanks to the traditional wisdom passed on from the elders through oral tradition, thousands of community members ran to the hills immediately when they felt the earthquake and saw the sea was receding rapidly leaving fish stranded on the seashore. The 8.9 Richter earthquake on 28 March 2006 has caused more damage and death compared to the tsunami three months ealier and devastated their fields and other sources of livelihoods. Access to funding for community groups is scarce on this island compared to Aceh mainland.

The South-South Grants Facility provides opportunities for assistance to purchase sewing machines; to purchase a communal stove, an electric mixer and oven for bakery; to conduct marketing and packaging training for embroidery and clothing products; to furnish bike and motorbike workshop; to open a hair salon and to establish pandanus weaving for mats. Total SSGF funding awarded to community of Awe Kecil is $15,000 US.

SSGF funding is complimenting the support to Awe Kecil community from GEF SGP Indonesia and Diakonie Emergency Aids (DEA) from Germany. Yayasan Banau, a Simeuleu based non-government organization, stated that complimentary roles among donors has helped local NGOs and community to improve its services to the community in more efficient way. With transparent and trusting communication among donors and local NGO, it contributes to better accountability measures and deliverables. Other than access to donors, the people in Simeulue in general are facing new ecological and socio-economic challenges such as competition between artisanal and commercial fishing, land conflicts, industrial extinction of lobsters and other protected species, water crisis as salt intrusion into the ground water and land conflicts.