05/30/2006 - Ottawa, Canada:
SOS Children's Villages Canada National Director Boyd McBride reported today that all children and staff in the SOS Villages on Java are safe following Saturday’s 6.2 magnitude earthquake. "Our facilities, close to Semarang have not incurred any damage and our youth facility in Yogyakarta is in fairly good condition," he said. "We were able to send an assessment team into the area very quickly after the quake hit," he continued.
Mr. McBride said that students from the SOS Youth Facility in Timoho (in Yogyakarta) assisted by SOS staff from SOS Village Semarang, have set up five emergency shelter areas. The young people are working with the local authorities to distribute food, tents, medicine and gasoline-powered water pumps. The supplies are brought in from Semarang, which is a two-hour drive from Yogyakarta.
"Our SOS children grow up in families and communities where they learn to take care of each other and to respect human dignity, so it's not an unusual thing to see our youth helping out in times of crises. Many of our SOS young people were involved in tsunami relief efforts," he explained.
The quake, which struck just before 6 am local time on Saturday, has left more than 200,000 homeless and 20,000 injured while the death toll, currently estimated at more than 5,000, continues to climb. "The area around Yogyakarta is densely populated, and our workers on the ground there report that rescue efforts are very difficult and will unfortunately probably uncover many more dead," said Mr. McBride. The National Director reported that the five emergency shelters are located in three areas -- Yogyakarta, Bantul and Prambanan . "All of these areas have been badly hit," he said.
Mr. McBride explained that SOS Children's Villages was able to react quickly to the disaster because of its long-term presence in the area. "SOS Children's Villages has been on Java since the first Village was built in Lembang in 1972. In addition to our other villages in Jakarta and Semarang, we operate schools, youth houses, a training facility and multi-purpose social centres," he explained.
"Our immediate relief efforts will focus on children who have lost their parents," he continued. "We are ready and able to provide temporary care for unaccompanied children until their family situation is clear," he said.
Prior to the tsunami which hit Indonesia in 2004, SOS Children's Villages had five SOS Children's Villages in Indonesia. Due to the high number of orphans left by the tsunami, three new Villages are under construction in Meulaboh, Banda Aceh and Medan. SOS has also been heavily involved in reconstruction projects which have resulted in hundreds of houses for destitute tsunami families as well as social centres, multi purpose centres and a clinic.
"The people of Indonesia have endured so much in the past year and a half and now they must face yet another disaster," said Mr. McBride. "We have a serious concern for the welfare of all of the victims but we know from over 50 years of experience in international emergencies, that children are always the most vulnerable and cannot survive for long on their own. We know that there are thousands who are now thirsty, hungry and without shelter or protection. Many may be injured. We have the resources, and the infrastructure to respond quickly to help these young victims who are very much at risk," he concluded.