Tragedy returns to Indonesia; so does Kiwanis

The Indian Ocean tsunami struck Indonesia in late 2004. Kiwanis responded. An earthquake flattened communities on the nation’s Nias Island in March 2005. Kiwanis responded. This past May, another earthquake struck south-central Java, and Kiwanis again is responding.

The Kiwanis International Foundation has opened its Disaster Relief Fund to collect contributions to aid the children affected by the May 29 tremor. The 6.2-magnitude quake caused more than 6,000 deaths and displaced more than 500,000 people.

“We have received food and medicine from the government, but it’s not enough,” Suparno, a neighborhood official, told Kiwanis Indonesia representatives. “How can I distribute 40 kilograms of rice to 1,200 people?”

“Hundreds of villagers lined main roads in the disaster zone, holding out donation boxes,” reports Donny Angkasa, a member of the Batavia, Indonesia, Kiwanis club. “They explained that any money collected would be used communally to buy rice, oil, and candles.”

Kiwanis Indonesia has developed a disaster response plan, which addresses immediate and long-term needs. The group, which represents the nation’s seven Kiwanis clubs, sent a truck of blankets, sarongs, adult and children’s clothing, milk, medicine, dry food, and other supplies to the Bantul region.

The Kiwanians also plan to reconstruct and repair schools, as they did on Nias Island following the March 2005 earthquake. Watch for more about the school repair in your August 2006 KIWANIS magazine.