December 20th 2010 Progress Report - HOPE worldwide
As the holiday season is upon us, disaster victims in Indonesia strive to stay strong in their daily battle of survival.
Three disasters have recently plagued the area:
- Wasior flash flood in Papua
- Mentawai Island tsunami in Sumatera
- Merapi volcanic eruption in central java
The resulting devastating has already caused:
- 875 deaths
- 157 missing
- 64,384 people displaced
Survivors are facing many uncertainties as they are trying to rebuild the shattered pieces of their lives. Many victims of the Wasior flash flood are still displaced in various cities while others are living in temporary shelters in the remote areas. Residents of Mentawai Island are still living in temporary shelters with very limited food supplies, health services, and hope for the future. Those living in Merapi have slowly returned to their homes only to find that their agricultural livelihoods have been destroyed by layers of volcanic ash, sand, and rocks. Lack of clean water is also a major concern in this area.
HOPE worldwide staff and volunteers responded quickly and provided 30,000 lbs (15 tons) of food, clothes, water, hygiene kits, as well as medical care and psychosoical support to victims. Teams of volunteers risked their own lives as they travelled from village to village making sure that all communities were getting assistance.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Psychosocial programs are being delivered to children in Jogjakarta with doctors spending their holiday in the villages of Mentawai to comfort and treat survivors.
Survival Reality
Daily hardship and a battle for survival is the reality these people are facing daily. The struggles are tough but although the future is bleak, few complaints are heard and everyone knows they must continue to fight. We have witnessed extraordinary perseverance from many and families are helping each other, neighbors are sharing their food, and everyone is doing anything they can to support others.
A local mother named Yeti is a great example. She comes from a nearby village to lend a hand cooking for victims of the Merapi Volcanic eruption. Along with her neighbors, she cooks three times a day for over 500 people in the evacuation center, even with limited supplies and equipment. Great dedication and compassion is shown by unknown heroes such as Yeti throughout the region.
Continuous Support
HOPE worldwide is extremely grateful for many individuals who continuously support our disaster response program. Individuals have taken their time to travel to remote villages, fundraise to support the programs, and comforted the children in these tough times. Staff and volunteers have risked their personal health and safety as they travel to unhealthy environments using risky transportation in poor weather conditions, not knowing what they will eat or where they will sleep.
From charity concerts, office staff collections, students collecting funds in school, individual donations, and much more many dedicated supporters have been working hard to mobilize resources to support for the affected victims. Many thanks to Indochine, Katon Bagaskara and friends, Ray White, Bina Bangsa School, Dewhirst, Rajawali Corp, GKDI, and many more of our partners and supporters. Your support has enabled us to bring hope and change lives.
The journey is far from over. The tasks are no where near complete. And there is still much work to be done in order to support our fellow mankind surviving life's storms. This could be any one of us. We all had been through times in our life when we greatly needed love and support from those around us. There is nothing more noble than to help those in need thing. Please pay it forward by doing your part to help. We invite everyone to take part in bringing hope and changing lives to the many who are still in need.
For further information or inquiry, please contact us at:
HOPE worldwide
353 W. Lancaster Avenue, Suite 200, Wayne, PA, 19087
Telephone: 1-610-254-8800; Fax: 1-610-254-8989
Ms. Marcia Scaggs, development officer
Email: - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (USA)
Mr. Charles Ham, country director
Email: - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Indonesia)
“Terima Kasih!”