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):