Save The Children Response To Sumatra Earthquake

30 March 2005

Save The Children Response To Sumatra Earthquake

At 11:09pm on March 28, 2005, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale hit between the islands of Simeuleu and Nias off the west coast of Sumatra. Save the Children’s immediate response has focussed on the island of Simeulue, population 78,126, which was also affected. The Save the Children office is badly damaged and cannot be utilized. Save the Children staff in Sinabang on Simuelue report that about 40% of houses and shops have been badly damaged. Save the Children have been supporting the provision of medical care at the public hospital.

Save the Children will distribute one thousand household kits from our warehouse in Sinabang as soon as possible to affected populations. Two planes will depart for Sinabang with medical kits and supplies for Sinabang hospital, medical personnel and child protection officers. A ship containing medical kits, bednets, large tents, baby food and household kits (items for a six-person family, a tarp and ground cloth that can be made into emergency shelter, hygiene / bath items, blankets, towels, cooking and eating instruments, buckets, flashlight, mosquito repellent, hats and raincoats) is en route to Sinabang.

Save the Children, which has worked in South Asia for three decades, has assisted more than 200, 000 children in Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia since the December 26 tsunami. To date more than (US)$200 million has been given or pledged by donors to Save the Children organizations around the world for tsunami related work. Thanks to this unprecedented generosity, Save the Children estimates it has raised sufficient funds to carry out its relief and recovery operations in communities hardest hit by the tsunami and encourages donors to direct their support to other Save the Children programmes around the world.

Some examples of projects that need funds are:

- HIV/AIDS Projects in Kenya, Mozambique and Nepal
- Education for Coolie Children in India
- Quality Education for Girls in Pakistan
- CAAB (Creating Life Alternatives for the Brothel) in Bangladesh.

ENDS

Save the Children works for:

- A world which respects and values each child
- A world which listens to children and learns
- A world where all children have hope and opportunity

© Scoop Media