Indonesian quake: SOS Children' Villages providing emergency relief 

Students from the SOS Youth Facility Timoho (in Yogyakarta), assisted by staff from SOS Children's Village Semarang, have set up five temporary shelters. The SOS youths are co-operating with the local population to distribute food, tents, medicine and gasoline-powered water pumps to those affected by the devastating earthquake. The supplies are being brought from Semarang, which is a two-hour drive by car from Yogyakarta.

The Indonesian Social Affairs Ministry reported Saturday's 6.2 magnitude quake killed 4,983 people, injured nearly 20,000, and left more than 200,000 homeless. Fortunately, no children from SOS Children's Villages or SOS mothers sustained injuries from the earthquake.

The town of Bantul, south of Yogyakarta, is the area devastated most by the earthquake. SOS Children's Villages is concentrating its emergency relief efforts in three areas: Timoho, Bantul and Prambanan. Three of the SOS mothers' hometowns are located in Bantul, and their houses were totally destroyed. These houses were used as "holiday homes" for children which are cared for by SOS Children's Villages.

Anton Pambudi of SOS Children's Village Semarang reported that when the SOS emergency relief efforts began in Prambanan, there were no other relief organisations providing assistance.

SOS Children's Villages is sending two medical doctors from SOS Children's Village Lembang to Yogyakarta to provide medical assistance at the shelters. SOS co-workers from Lembang will also travel to Yogyakarta to assist the staff overseeing relief operations, and to relieve those co-workers who are overworked.

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The victims of the Indonesian earthquake are benefiting from our Emergency Relief Fund. To ensure we can continue with our Emergency Relief Programmes, your donation into this fund is much appreciated.