The International Rescue Committee (IRC) says that donations are falling egregiously short of what is required to address massive health and shelter needs in the
quake-hit Indonesian province of central Java.
“This is a disaster, but the media is hardly paying attention and donor interest is lagging,” said Michael Kocher, International Rescue Committee regional director for Indonesia. “There is an urgent need for more funding if we're going to prevent disease outbreaks and provide viable shelter.”
The United Nations last week said that $100 million was required over the next six months to help address the most immediate needs. Nearly half of that money is needed to provide housing to the estimated 650,000 people left homeless by the disaster. Less than a quarter of the required sum has been collected so far.
“The needs are enormous,” said Kocher. “It’s as if the entire population of the city of Baltimore or Frankfurt has suddenly been made homeless. It’s true that we have seen many major disasters of late, but we shouldn’t let the sheer numbers of the South Asian tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake blur our vision.”
Kocher notes that the Indonesian government says they have enough professional health staff on the ground, but he affirms that there is an urgent need for emergency shelter and sanitation interventions.
“The large-scale destruction of water and sanitation facilities combined with large numbers of displaced survivors creates the potential for high disease and death rates,” says Kocher.
Adding to these concerns is the increased activity over the past week of nearby Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s deadliest volcanoes.
Concentrating on hard-hit villages near Yogyakarta, IRC teams are distributing essential items including blankets, plastic storage bins for water collection and hygiene supplies to survivors.
As many survivors live in makeshift shelters, made from tree branches or debris, the IRC is also procuring urgently-needed tools, cement, roofing and other shelter materials, which will give people the extra items they need rebuild their homes with salvaged building materials.
In the coming days, the IRC will also begin latrine construction and launch a large-scale hygiene promotion campaign.
Looking to the urgent needs of children, the IRC teams will also set up seven “child friendly spaces” - safe and structured environments for the youngest and most vulnerable survivors to heal and resume learning activities. The IRC will also be training local university students to administer some of the children’s programs.
