Gempa Yogya Appeal
ACICIS students support Yogya earthquake relief effort
In the early morning of Saturday May 27, 2006, Yogyakarta and surrounding
areas were struck by a major earthquake, registering 5.9 on the
Richter scale. In an instant, thousands of houses crumbled, leaving
hundreds of villages in ruins. About 6000 people died and hospitals
overflowed with the injured and traumatised.
ACICIS students based in Yogyakarta appealed to friends and relatives
in Australia for donations and quickly swung into action purchasing
and delivering urgently needed basic logistical supplies such as
medicines, food and water, tarpaulins and blankets. After a few
weeks, the shopping lists included basic rebuilding tools such as
wheelbarrows and hammers - see photos...
 Survey
teams on motorbikes tried to locate villages that were not receiving
help from other agencies, particularly villages farther from the
main roads that tended to be overlooked.
Being 'on the spot' and with numerous Indonesian friends to guide
their efforts, ACICIS students were well placed to rapidly respond
to the disaster and filled an important niche, especially before
the major aid agencies arrived.
After one month, the decision has been made to wind up the ACICIS
aid effort as many students were either returning home to Australia
or wishing to travel before the start of second semester. After
the final shopping weekend, the remaining funds were dispersed to
several local projects that will build temporary housing and community
facilities and run children's programs.
However, ACICIS students' efforts have not stopped and many students
continue to work with local groups and agencies and international
organisations. They remain involved in a range of activities, from
interpreting for visiting medical teams to working with children's
trauma relief programs.
We wish to sincerely thank the many hundreds of generous people who supported
the Gempa (earthquake) appeal. Your generosity made a significant difference
to hundreds of people in a time of dire need. Full details of ACICIS aid expenditure
will be posted on the website when available in a couple of weeks.
As it is not considered appropriate to maintain an on-going ACICIS
NGO in Yogyakarta, this appeal has now closed. If you wish to support
other aid efforts in Yogyakarta we would recommend a number of organisations
- though practically speaking it is difficult to make donations
to them as they do not hold Australian or other international bank
accounts. For this reason we recommend any future funds be channelled
through existing aid organizations that have such accounts.
Thank you, terima kasih and matur nuwun...
Read more about an ACICIS student's experience of the
earthquake or about a student's experience helping victims
of the disaster.
See also articles from Inside Indonesia by Dr Philip King, ACICIS Resident Director, and Prof Anton Lucas, ACICIS Reference Group member.
Please direct your kind donations to some of the following aid
agencies and organisations (follow the Indonesian earthquake appeal
links):
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