A Hostage Story : 126 days in Jolo

July 15, 2000. As the Sipadan hostages entered their 84th day of captivity, "The most magnificent sight struck them. There hanging above the canopy of leaves was the biggest moon they had ever seen. It seemed so close that Monique wanted to stretch out her hand and touch it. As the shadow of the earth slowly crept over it, they realized they were witnessing a lunar eclipse. The rebels were shooting wildly at it. They looked anxious and confused. Strangely, Callie and Monique felt sorry for them. Their fear and this frenzied shooting at the moon was somehow a metaphor for the madness of it all." The rebels only put down their guns after Marc Wallert, one of the three German hostages, explained what was happening. "It hung in the sky like another planet and it was then that Callie and Monique felt a sense of commitment they had not felt before. Somehow this rare cosmic phenomenon was a sign. They knew they would be freed; it was just a matter of when."

The incident inspired the title of the book Shooting The Moon, where South African author Marianne Thamm tells the story of Callie and Monique Strydom, the South African couple kidnapped along with 19 others by the Muslim bandit group Abu Sayyaf. The hostages were snatched from the diving paradise island of Sipadan, off Sabah, Malaysia, and brought to Jolo, Sulu where they were held for more than four months. The book gives an account of their ordeal in the jungles of Jolo and how they survived it. (Callie and Monique are keen travelers who share a passion for diving. Back home in Johannesburg, Callie works as a corporate banker, while Monique runs a multi-media advertising and fund-raising business with her sister. The couple, married for fifteen years, had planned the Sipadan diving holiday as their last before settling down and starting a family.)

The book begins with the abduction in Sipadan as the island’s diving guests were enjoying a relaxing evening.

April 23, 2000. Easter Sunday. "The first man burst in through the back entrance and almost immediately rested a mean looking rocket launcher on one of the tables near the rear. ‘Police,’ he shouted, followed by ‘illegal immigrants!’ Within seconds about five more heavily armed men scrambled onto the deck. Some were dressed in quasi-military uniforms with old T-shirts or vests...One or two wore combat fatigues and black T-shirts with the word ‘Army’ emblazoned across the chest. They were carrying M-16 assault rifles, handguns and had rounds of ammunition wrapped around their necks...‘Philippine Army,’ the man aiming the bazooka at the guests, said in broken English."

It did not take long for the tourists to realize that it was not an official raid, as the intruders began looting the bar’s cash register and souvenir shop. "The five men began aggressively bumping their way between the tables on deck ripping chains off women’s necks and slapping the watches off some of the men’s arms...before they were shoved outside they were ordered to stand in a circle facing each other with their hands in the air while they were searched. Monique handed over her precious wedding ring, a bracelet and her watch. The man searching seemed to have missed the beautiful silver chain around her neck. After he had moved on she removed it surreptitiously and handed it to Callie who slipped it into his pocket along with his J&B watch that he had secreted there earlier.

"The tourists and some resort staff were then taken to two long boats, each about 10 meters long and two meters wide. As they scrambled to get aboard at gunpoint, a hysterical scream pierced the air. ‘I can’t swim, I can’t swim.’ It was the American woman Callie and Monique had seen earlier with another man. They had not yet met the couple although her husband had dived with them that afternoon. She was standing directly opposite Monique while her husband stood behind her pleading with the men. ‘She can’t swim, please leave us,’ he howled. ‘I shoot you, I shoot you,’ the guard snapped angrily at the woman. ‘You get on,’ he said pointing his M-16 at her. One of the gunmen pressed his weapon to her head and forced her to the side of the boat. It was unbearable to watch. ‘Please don’t shoot. She can’t swim.’ Monique pleaded with him in a low calm tone. She instinctively knew that if they killed one of the captives then, it would certainly lead to more deaths later." The American couple was spared. In their haste to get away, the abductors decided to leave them behind.

The journey took about 24 hours. Twice, the passengers passed through a tropical storm, "The sea became increasingly wild and choppy. Angry waves relentlessly whipped the boat, battering the hostages...They were freezing and soaked and the blustering wind only made it worse. They huddled closer and it was only the heat of their bodies that reminded them they were still alive." At one point, the party stopped at a two-storey "houseboat on stilts that had been built on a shallow reef...The balcony teemed with shirtless, heavily armed men who spoke in the same fast language as the men on the boat. ...at least 30 ‘soldiers’ hung over the side gawking at the boat... Callie and Monique feared for their lives. They believed that this must be their final destination. That this was where the journey and their lives would end. ...Suddenly a powerful beam washed over them...‘Americans, Americans,’ Monique heard someone exclaim with glee." It turned out to be a refueling stop.

The hostages were brought to the southern tip of Jolo. Their destination was "a large island, the biggest they had seen so far. From nowhere a flotilla of smaller boats with heavily armed men appeared and guided the two fishing boats towards a bamboo hut perched above the swamp...They hardly had time to take in their surroundings before the confused, tired and bedraggled hostages were marched up a smaller boggy path to a clearing near another bamboo hut. They were ordered to stop. That was it. They had arrived. Where on earth they did not know."

The hostages were "served bowls of rice and water, their first meal in about 24 hours." Looking around for clues as to where they were, Monique only found a poster of the "Backstreet Boys" pinned up on the bamboo wall. If they found their way here, she thought, then perhaps the hostages were not as cut off from the world after all.

The hostages were then transported on two trucks and three hours later were brought to a village they discovered was called Talipao at about 1 a.m. They pulled up outside a house, which one of the rebels said was their "headquarters." Then they moved into the jungle. "Before the trucks started up and headed off down the highway the captives were bundled onto the back. A rope was tied around them to prevent them from falling off during the bumpy ride. They moved slowly for about two kilometers before the vehicles turned off down a mud path through the jungle. They sank almost immediately into the thick sludge. The hostages were untied and ordered to walk up ahead...They sloshed their way through the ankle deep muck that was thick with forest debris, twigs and bits of bark that scraped and poked at their bare feet. Tired and exhausted, they reached the camp around 3 a.m. ...Callie and Monique were ushered brusquely into a small bamboo shelter while the rest of the hostages, the ‘Europeans’ and the Malaysians, were taken to two separate huts in the same enclosure... Monique prayed that this was all a horrible dream and that when they awoke in the morning it would be in their own beds in their own home. Exhausted they fell asleep, their feet still caked with mud." Their nightmare had just begun.

In the first weeks of their captivity, the hostages were fed only one meal of unsalted rice. The rebels did not share their own containers of water. The hostages tried to quench their thirst by drinking buko juice but it always caused them severe diarrhea. Soon, "the dehydrated, sleep deprived and starved hostages began to feel increasingly incapacitated. Their toilet was the dense bush that surrounded them and most of the captives had to dash in regularly, using bits of foliage as paper. After a few nasty encounters with a species of stinging nettle that grew wild in the area, they soon learned which leaves were safe. Eventually with the heat and increased traffic, the stench from the bush grew intolerable and hung about the camp almost permanently. Later maneuvering oneself through the ‘national park’ as the hostages dubbed it, became trickier as the empty spaces filled up."

One day, Patrick, a young man who was abducted by the rebels earlier, while biking around Jolo, brought the captives a local newspaper. "The lead story was about 27 people, some of them school children, who had been taken hostage off the island of Basilan nearby by a faction of a group known as the Abu Sayyaf or ‘bearer of the sword.’ It was rumored that two of the captives had been beheaded and Monique remarked to Patrick that they were perhaps lucky not to have been caught by these Abu Sayyaf rebels...Patrick looked surprised and informed them that they had indeed been captured by the Abu Sayyaf Group but that Mujib and the other leader – the smaller one with the moustache whose name was Galib Andang – were less brutal than the Basilan command. Galib’s alias was ‘Commander Robot,’ a moniker some say was inspired by the indestructible hero in the Robocop series or films. Galib, Patrick told them, had earned his nickname by surviving many gun battles and skirmishes. There were others though who claimed Robot was given the alias because of his ability to dance like Michael Jackson. The hostages never saw this hidden talent."

On the first week of captivity, the captives saw the feared Khadaffi Janjalani for the first time. "In a gathering under a tree," the men sat for a long time talking before each left, flanked by a squad of rebels. Later that day the atmosphere in the camp changed markedly. The rebels had somehow become quieter, more subdued...everyone looked tensed and worried... the Philippine Army had been spotted on the highway about two kilometers from their hideout. It was decided for a spokesperson for the group to accompany Robot to make a phone call. Callie was chosen and accompanied by a platoon; they made their way through dense forest. "Robot warned that they might hit a military ambush at any time and that if they did they should automatically drop. Over the local radio station, DXRZ, Callie was asked to read a statement, ‘This is Callie Strydom. I am one of the hostages... We urgently appeal to the UN and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) to request the Philippine Government to stop all military action in the Mindanao region, especially in the Sulu and Basilan areas.’"

May 2, 2000. Tenth day in captivity. Their worst fears came true. "And then suddenly it was as if the earth around them had exploded. Loud and terrifying bursts of automatic weapon fire crackled all around them. The cacophony was ear shattering and seemed dangerously close. ...Bullets rained down on the camp. The hostages in the hut were sitting targets... As the battle raged on rebels with machine guns, rifles and rocket launchers scattered in every direction, fear and terror etched on their faces... As they hit the ground, Monique stretched out her hand to balance herself and felt something awful squish through her fingers. Then she caught the familiar sickly sweet whiff. They were in the ‘national park.’ For Monique, the scene unfolded as if it were happening to someone else. She felt disconnected, as if she were floating and could no longer hear the gunfire or even think clearly. They were dangerously exposed while the bullets zinged past them. A huge banana leaf, severed by a bullet, crashed to the ground... Callie heard a familiar whining noise that sounded like the trajectory of a mortar. Just then the earth shook as cannon shells began to crash and explode around them, tearing up the ground... Callie could not believe that the army had begun to use heavy artillery. As the fighting moved closer they believed that this time, it was really the end. They prayed and asked forgiveness for all they had done wrong... I love you Monique, Callie said hugging her closely. While the shooting stuttered and explosions thundered it appeared as if the rebels had finally found a way through the cordon. The hostages were ordered up and this time they moved swiftly up ahead. After an hour they climbed a small hill to a clearing surrounded by thick tropical jungle. ...The botched rescue attempt by the Philippine army had somehow imperceptibly changed the hostages’ relationship with their captors who had now become their protectors. At dusk the largest group of rebels the hostages had seen yet gathered around and began to pray. Never before had so many knelt down on cloths or bits of canvas facing Mecca. The battle had spooked them."

When night fell "the group continued to flee, the rebels communicated with each other with birdcalls and a guard nearby told them that they were approaching the highway, ‘a critical area.’ And here the hostages saw the community’s support for the bandit group.

"... A large crowd of men, women and children who had gathered in the night. The civilians, murmuring among themselves, formed a human chain and helped the rebels escape with their charges. Each of the hostages was led from one stranger to the next until they had all crossed the road." But they also saw how the rebels had abused the villagers, "Some of the rebels helped themselves to cigarettes and other supplies from the small outdoor stalls that residents had set up outside. No one dared to confront them."

Throughout their four-month ordeal, the hostages transferred camps six times. Each time, baptizing their settlements with names like Crown Plaza, Mountain View Lodge, Sea View Lodge and Two Rivers Camp. Oftentimes they marveled at the irony of the majestic scenery around them. "Although it was green, lush and beautiful, their surroundings were hostile and dangerous."

Shooting the Moon also provides an insight into the background of Abu Sayyaf leaders Robot and Mujib. "Galib Andang was 10 years old in 1974 when Philippine troops, loyal to the US-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos, invaded Jolo island in response to a Muslim uprising...As the military approached, Galib’s mother Sahrifa fled from their village Bilaal to Amatol. She took her two sons and three daughters with her but Galib’s 80-year-old grandmother was too weak to run. According to Galib’s older brother, Warid, they dug a hole in the ground, hid their grandmother inside and covered it with palm leaves. They promised to fetch her later. They returned when it was safe only to discover that the old woman had been shot and her head and hands chopped of. The dismembering of corpses was a routine Philippine army practice as Marcos’s men were well aware that the entire body was needed for a proper Muslim burial. That day, said Warid, Galib left the family to join the MNLF. Like most Muslims on Jolo in the 1970s, Mujib Susukan’s father also joined the MNLF. Unlike Robot, Mujib’s father owned land and was wealthy. When he was killed in a clash with the military, Mujib inherited his land, his gun and his war.

The hostages were also not immune to quarrels among themselves. "The arrival of the provisions had set off simmering tensions between the hostages. When one of the Europeans polished off a tin of bully beef on his own in front of the Malaysians who did not been given any supplies, Callie and Monique decided that they did not want to be associated with some of the Europeans. Later on, the arrival of local currency in the camp had complicated matters and the hostages agreed to call a meeting to sort out growing tension. Monique invited Ken (a Malaysian diving instructor in Sipadan) to join as a representative of the Malaysian and Filipino hostages. The forum provided a space for everyone to vent their frustrations around the distribution of money and food and to find an equitable way ahead... At first the atmosphere was combative but eventually they cleared the air. It had been a vital meeting and everyone agreed in the future all money and supplies would be shared equally."

There were also other irritants. The lack of privacy created tension among the hostages. The book makes liberal mention of the Finns. One night, "Callie was woken by the now familiar amorous whispers of Risto and Seppo (Finnish co-hostages). He could not understand it. Firstly, sex was the last thing on his mind and, secondly, he wondered, Why didn’t they go away from the others? Perhaps it was a Finnish thing?...Stephane was also woken by the noise and slammed the wall of the house angrily." The noises became a joke among the hostages. "In the middle of the night we were woken up by a noise next to us in the hut. It was still dark and the roosters were crowing. We realized the Finns were at it again. I could not believe it. I tried talking loudly to Callie but they just carried on. Later they went for their ‘nightly stroll.’ I heard Sonia and Stephane mumbling. This morning when Sonia walked into the room we looked at each other and burst out laughing. We knew exactly why."

There was also camaraderie and often journalists’ visits raised their sagging spirits. After one such visit, "guards and cooks collected around the hut as the hostages belted out a collection of hits like Please Release Me and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. Werner (one of the three German hostages) reworked the lyrics of the Beatles hit Yellow Submarine to ‘Here we are in the jungle of Jolo, jungle of Jolo, jungle of Jolo.’ It amused the rebels no end and they ended up singing the chorus with their captives."

The situation was bizarre. On another occasion, "as a clear indication of the insanity, Mujib arrived with the little taperecorder he had carried in the jungle. To their horror he played the exploding shells and machine gun fire of that first military attack."

But as the days turned into months, the media visits turned into a curse for the hostages. Privacy was difficult in the open camps and aside from media’s intrusion, the hostages also had to deal with the villagers' and guards' curiosity. They often felt like caged animals in a zoo. Fed up, Monique and Marie (French-Lebanese hostage) "made a sign on a piece of cardboard that says, ‘Entrance fee 1. Looking – P10. 2. Talking – P20. 3. Interview – P50. 4. Photos/TV –P100. In aid of the Free the Hostages Fund. Please do not feed the hostages. We don’t know if half of them can read it but maybe the press will realize that we are sick of being used."

Almost a month into their captivity, the Libyans entered the picture on May 20, 2000. "Ambassador Azzarouq and another Libyan envoy, Mohamed Ismail, arrived at the house to meet the hostages. He brought a satellite telephone, a box of T-shirts from the Gadaffi International Foundation and a crate of cool drinks. At that stage, the German government had held talks with the Libyans who made no secret of the fact that they were willing to help. Even the Libyan negotiators were not spared from the bandit’s petty theft. Robot watched as Monique and Mohamed spoke and soon began to eye the expensive watch on his wrist. Mohamed had no choice, he undid the watch and handed it over. In return Robot gave him his cheap plastic watch. The rebels often stole from visitors including the press. Shoes, clothes or anything of value that was left unattended disappeared in a flash.

"Diplomats from France, South Africa, Malaysia, Finland, Germany and Lebanon asked the Estrada government for restraint and were outraged when the Armed Forces of the Philippines launched two full-scale attacks on rebel hide-outs, seriously endangering the lives of their nationals. The Philippine government could no longer be trusted to deal with the crisis and the Europeans and the South Africans agreed that Libya should be brought to negotiate directly with the rebels on their behalf... It was ironic and perhaps fortuitous then that South Africa was drawn into the crisis, not only in negotiating... but as a facilitator in the fragile relationship between Libya and European countries."

There was no love lost for Secretary Robert Aventajado (appointed as chief negotiator by then President Estrada) among the hostages, who was pictured by the book as publicity hungry and photo-op conscious. The Strydoms say his insistence at "controlling" the negotiations was one factor, which dragged the talks. "The Malaysians sent their ambassador, Ashrad Hussein, to deal directly with the rebels, a move that angered Aventajado and that complicated matters...Aventajado was determined to regain control over the negotiations but agreed to meet President Estrada together with Azzarouq... While Azzarouq, through Radulan Sujiron (one of four Abu Sayyaf political commissars, nicknamed one-armed bandit as he had lost his left arm in a skirmish), made contact with Robot and Mujib, Aventajado tried to open up his own channels of communication. He was informed that Azzarouq had to be present at all times. In desperation he telephoned Robot himself and asked him for the names of two people that Robot had trusted and who could act as emissaries between the Philippine government and the rebels. And so began the two-leveled or split negotiations that were compounded even further when all manner of emissaries, purporting to represent Robot and Mujib, began to emerge from the jungle to make demands.

"In the meantime the 21 hostages, tired, afraid and starving, were to become unwittingly tangled in a complicated web that sometimes had to do more with personal political agenda than securing their freedom"

In one conversation between Callie and Robot, the bandit leader had told him, "There were delays because of two levels of negotiations, one official and the other, ‘secret.’ Callie presumed that officially the group would say they were fighting for independence but that secretly all they wanted was a ransom. It was either that or negotiators and emissaries were meddling in an attempt to control the process or score political points."

The book cited the release of the first hostage, Malaysian Zulkarnain or Zul as he was known to them, "It was rumored that Lee Peng Wee a controversial sea weed king based in Zamboanga and who acted as an emissary for the Malaysian government, did pay a $3 million ransom. The transaction caught Aventajado and Azzarouq off guard and afterwards they excluded him from taking part in further talks. He was reinstated later."

The hostages also began to observe drug use among the bandits. One night Monique had saved a dish she cooked when supplies were provided by Sulu Governor Sakur Tan. "We saved a bit for Suraiya (the only woman in the rebel group whose chores included guarding the hostages and making food) who had gone for a walk and came back stoned. We can often smell the dagga fumes of the rebels smoking. We are now much aware of the drug use after one of the reporters asked us if they forced us to take any or if they had raped the women.

"On another occasion, when Callie and Monique strolled down to the river to bath later they noticed Suraiya and the other cooks lying listlessly in her tent nearby. They had been smoking dope and were stoned out of their skulls."

The Strydoms had also observed the interesting relationship between the Jolo and Basilan factions of the Abu Sayyaf. June 28, 200. Day 67. "We were surprised this morning with a visit from Robot, Mujib one-armed bandit and his cohorts from Basilan, including the official Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Abu Sabaya and about 30 other rebels. They descended on us in a great flurry. The guards came to call us as we lay in our hammocks and we could feel the danger as we walked into the camp. The leaders looked mean and aggressive and stared at the women... You could see they were ruthless. There was no compassion in their eyes. They were very scary. They seemed somehow angry and negative. Robot and Mujib were acting strangely. It was as if they were trying to impress the other leaders by being distant towards us."

At that point, tension was increasing in the camp. "We heard that our rebel group is afraid that they are going to be attacked by other rogue commands. We are afraid we will be caught in the middle. This is real rebel territory... we must tell you that the people around us have no discipline and the longer this goes on the more likely it is that the unhappiness that is brewing inside the group around issues of money might end in tragedy. They are shooting left, right and center."

The situation was getting more macabre by the day. "One afternoon Robot arrived accompanied by a striking young woman wearing dark glasses and who appeared to be severely traumatized. The woman spoke softly to Renate (German hostage who was taken ill during their captivity) and afterwards remained in the hut weeping quietly and staring blankly ahead of her. Monique scribbled a note to Aida (The Filipina cook who worked in Sipadan). ‘Who is this woman?’ I don’t know. Why is she so upset? ‘She sacrificed herself’ was Aida’s enigmatic reply. Aida looked away unable or unwilling to answer the question. Her response somehow confirmed Monique’s suspicion that the rebels had done something to this woman. Later they learned that she was Leah Carbullo, a Filipino writer who had trekked from Manila to Jolo to swap places with Renate. She was working on an eccentric biography of her life and had clearly felt that being held hostage would make for an authentic and interesting experience. The rebels had refused and in desperation she cut off one of her fingers and wrote a note in blood to Robot and Mujib pleading to swap places with the German woman. There was something about the situation in the jungle that attracted this sort of madness and it only added to the distress that the hostages had been feeling."

August 10, 2000. Day 110. An entry in Callie’s diary reads, "Day full of expectation but no release. We read that Aventajado said we would be released but we are still here. Just after supper the most incredible shooting started outside camp. ...Even the rebels began shooting and we saw the sparks from their guns, Stephane (French co-hostage) dived into the mud and tried to creep under the house. Monique sat at the entrance and burst into tears as she tried to put on her boots. Later we heard the real reason for the shooting. Robot got married to his third wife. Apparently he kidnapped her and paid her family P300,000. He is now known as Robot Hood on the island and is doling out money to everyone, buying TV sets, video machines and cameras. Apparently Jolo is awash with new P1,000 notes."

Day 114. News of the Libyan aircraft’s arrival in Cebu reached camp.

"A few days later, Aventajado informed the press that the Sipadan hostages had not been released because of bad weather. The truth was that Robot and Mujib had suddenly got greedy and had asked for more money. The Philippine government, Libya as well as the representatives of all the countries involved in the kidnapping publicly insisted that no ransom would be paid. It was a joke; everyone could see that money was pouring into the island and that the rebels were behaving as if they had struck a goldmine... Robot promised to immediately release six hostages but did not. Insiders say that Dragon (Ernest Pacuno’s codename; Pacuno is a retired army colonel and Robot’s uncle who acted as one of Aventajado’s emissaries) had slipped Robot $200,000 in pesos to release one Filipino hostage so that Aventajado could appear to be the only person ‘in control’ of negotiations and who could deliver results. Meanwhile, Suraiya, who had left the camp for a few days, returned shimmering with gold jewellery. A few days later, Aida informed the Strydoms, ‘I am going to be freed,’ with no trace of emotion."

August 23, 2000. The hostages'‚ fourth-month anniversary. The Strydoms, increasingly frustrated, tried to persuade the other hostages to go on a hunger strike. They had been passive for far too long and were determined to do something about the endless shifting of boundaries and the confusion surrounding the negotiations. The following day, their hopes were buoyed. Suraiya told them the women were about to be released.

August 27, 2000. Monique woke up in an upbeat mood. She told Callie of an idea that had come to her while she swung gently in the hammock. She wanted to set up a charity website and a trust fund that could raise funds for all sorts of causes. It was clear to her that this was what she was meant to do. ‘You know Callie,’ she told him that morning, ‘it is time for me to go.’ That day, Monique, Marie, Sonia (French co-hostage), Maryse (French journalist also held hostage much later by the Abu Sayyaf) and Werner were released. Callie was released the following day.

"On the helicopter ride from Jolo to Zamboanga City, Monique had her first view of Jolo, ‘on the horizon a hot orange sun trailed by a few wisps of cloud was sinking slowly into the sea.’ A feeling of utter peace washed over her... She thought to herself that God really did exist."

The released hostages were brought from Zamboanga to the Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu. The hostages were made to spend the night at the tactical operation command center on Aventajado’s insistence, though the Libyans offered to check them into a five-star hotel. "There was only a double bed and a mattress but the women didn’t care. Anything was better than the jungle hut."

Monday afternoon, husband and wife were reunited. "Callie scanned the surroundings for Monique and as the crowd parted he saw her sprinting towards him. He smiled broadly, folding his arms around her. He felt safe and whole..."

The hostages left the Philippines on board a 60-seater jet that had once belonged to Former Russian Prime Miniser Boris Yeltsin and now belonged to Muammar Gadaffi. "The contrast from the squalor of the jungle to the extreme opulence of the interior of the place was surreal."

On their arrival in Dubai for refueling, the hostages were told that as they left the air force base in Cebu, the Philippine government had handed the Libyan negotiators an invoice for several hundred dollars for "accommodation."

The return to their homeland "was all one big happy blur for Callie and Monique. As they posed for pictures...Callie suddenly knelt down and kissed the ground." In Johannesburg, the couple became instant celebrities. They met with former President Nelson Mandela and had an audience with President Thabo Mbeki. "Callie and Monique realized that they were accidental heroes but that they could use the unique experience to help and strengthen others. They established the Callie and Monique Trust, which is linked to a website that offers other charities a shop window and an opportunity to link with potential donors. This way, they hope they will be able to cultivate a spirit of goodwill and somehow give something back to the country and millions of South Africans who had followed their story and prayed for their safe return."

"For them it is the only way to make sense of what happened in the jungle of Jolo."