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Help Us Help Child Survivors of Deadly Earthquake in Indonesia
Westport, CT (May 27, 2006) — Save the Children is appealing for public support as it responds to the needs of thousands of children and families who have survived a powerful earthquake that struck early Saturday morning in central Indonesia.
The magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck about 250 miles east of the capitol, Jakarta, while many were sleeping. Officials estimated nearly 3,000 had died from the disaster, with thousands more injured, and the totals are likely to rise further.
Save the Children officials are concerned that the earthquake struck in the vicinity of Mount Merapi, an active volcano that recently has been sending out large clouds of gas and ash. A major eruption of the volcano could claim additional lives and greatly complicate relief efforts.
"We are asking the American public once again to support our efforts in Indonesia as they did so generously following the earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004," said Rudy Von Bernuth, who heads Save the Children USA's emergency response operations. "We have assisted more than 276,000 survivors of the tsunami in Indonesia, where we have operated programs for 30 years."
Von Bernuth said that Save the Children staff members in Indonesia have begun to mount a rapid assessment in areas impacted by the earthquake and to purchase supplies to meet the most urgent needs of children and families who have survived the earthquake.
"We will focus first on helping meet basic needs including providing water, food, medicines, hygiene kits and temporary shelter, with a special focus on ensuring that children are protected and safe," he said. The agency will begin assembling family kits with household supplies and other basic necessities to assist displaced families.
Following the tsunami, Save the Children played a leading role in helping protect children who survived the disaster. The agency helped reunite separated children with their families while also training teachers and re-equipping schools so children could return to school shortly after the disaster.
"In every disaster response situation, we work to inject some normalcy into the lives of children who have been uprooted from their homes and have seen everything familiar to them suddenly disappear," said Von Bernuth. "Children are very resilient and can overcome disasters, with the proper support and guidance."
Save the Children is a global leader in child-focused emergency response with decades of experience in addressing the unique needs of children in crisis. The agency currently works in 40 developing countries as well as in the United States including communities along the Gulf Coast recovering from the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina last summer.
Learn more about Save the Children's Indonesian earthquake response
