|
Save the Children Provides Emergency Supplies to Children and Families Left Homeless in Java, Indonesia
|
Westport, Conn. (Updated July 24, 2006) — Save the Children is delivering needed supplies to children and families displaced from their homes following an earthquake and tsunami that struck the south coast of Java on Monday, July 17. Staff from Save the Children arrived in West Java a day after the disaster to meet with communities to assess children’s needs.
A convoy of trucks from Jakarta arrived in Java today filled with household kits containing essentials such as cooking utensils, hygiene items, bedding, mosquito repellent and water containers. Nearly 400 household kits were distributed to families living in temporary shelters in Pangandaran, Farigi and Ciamis Districts of West Java. On Saturday, July 22, Save the Children delivered 450 kits to sites in these affected areas.
Ibu Nonong, a mother of three from Ciamis District in West Java, received one of the household kits. “We have been eating nasi bungkus (carry-out rice in a box) since the tsunami and living in tents. Now that we have these household kits I can finally cook a proper meal for my family,” she said.
Save the Children will also deliver 10 large tents to be used as temporary schools so that children can continue their education and regain a sense of routine and normalcy. Several schools were destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami, and many are now being used as temporary shelters for displaced families.
The earthquake and tsunami happened on the first day of school in Java. The death toll has risen to more than 660 people, while several hundred are missing and an estimated 74,000 people are living in temporary shelters and housing, according to the Indonesian government.
Save the Children has operated in Indonesia for 30 years, providing development programs and emergency relief, most recently responding to the needs of children and families affected by the volcanic eruption in Java in May 2006.
