16 December 2010
the situation of Merapi, taken from Kaliurang, Cangkringan on last week
|
During the system's installation, PWF also conducted socialization activities to educate the kids and the local community about water-health and hygiene practices. The local village chief, representing the community, was thankful for this program and the access to clean water.
PWF were so impressed with the teams work that they have decided to donate a further four units. Mark Steele, PWF founder and chief executive, said: "Working with SD Indonesia is different. We are like a big family and we enjoyed it very much."
Due to the project success, we are now planning a further four deployments. SD Indonesia is now looking for other sites in the area and conducting further fundraising. During our visit, we found that Boyolali, Sleman, Magelang and the Code River flood plain are also areas which would benefit from clean water systems.
In addition, during the emergency response SD Indonesia had donated food and non food items (children toys and book stories, blankets, daily needs) to the people affected Merapi eruption. SD Indonesia also visited and survey damaged isolated areas, in Petung and Kopeng Village, Cangkringan. (Please see our photos attached).
PWF is a US-based non-profit organization that focuses on helping disadvantaged communities in the developing world by installing water purification systems and delivering education programs on water-health and hygiene practices. PWF have completed projects in schools and rural villages in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Tibet and China, with expansion into Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines planned.
Over 100 million people in Indonesia lack access to safe water and more than 70 percent of the population relies on water obtained from potentially contaminated sources. Unsafe drinking water is a major cause of diarrhea, which is the second leading killer of children under five and accounts for about 20 percent of child deaths. Every year, at least 300 out of 1,000 Indonesians suffer from water-borne diseases, including cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever.
These sobering statistics are why SD Indonesia is concentrating on providing clean water to the communities surrounding Mount Merapi now that the emergency response program has finished. According to the results of a recent survey conducted for UN OCHA, 41% of 450 households interviewed said that access to clean water was a priority and 94% want to return to their original villages.
PWF and SD Indonesia have the same aim to deliver clean water to communities in need so a solid partnership has been developed between our organizations.
We are very grateful for all contributions to support this projects.
For any contribution, please send to:
Perkumpulan Susila Dharma Indonesia
Niaga Bank - Fatmawati branch
No: 917.01.01299.003
(Swift code: BNIAIDJA)
Earmark: Clean Water program
16 November 2010
Update from Ariana Susanti
Dear Hamida (Hamida Virginia Thomas),
Thank you for your immediate donation to SD Indonesia for humanitarian relief, and we will inform you after the money arrive safely in our account.
Last week on Friday, SD Indonesia team (Dyah and Ati) went to Yogyakarta for assessment in the affected area around Merapi. Currently, the Merapi is still erupting with low intensity and no one knows how long this will last. The villages on the slope of Merapi have been destroyed and covered with cool volcanic mudflow about 6-7 meters high. Subud West and East Java committees, on behalf of Subud Indonesia, are also active volunteers in helping people there. The main thing is we are sincere to help victim as much as we can....we work with our hearts.
from right to left: Sundari (Bu Ben), Bu Kendar and Pak Suhardjo (Subud Yogya Team)
|
1. Merapi Eruption:
- they have enough food, non-food items and medical, but in some areas still need assistance
- there are camp management issues, including sanitation, but the government has not requested further help from NGOs (although they have asked everyone to be on standby if needed)
- no one knows how much longer the Merapi situation will last and they are currently planning for 'secondary hazards' such as earthquakes
- recovery work needed soon, and wait until the situation with Merapi settles down
Sundari (Bu Ben) and pak Suhardjo making check list before distribute the goods to the vistims
|
- bad weather and geography are causing challenges
- there is sufficient aid but the challenge is distributing it
- land transport has been the biggest issue, as well as an over-supply of 'volunteers', who are blocking transport and eating everything!
- the government is currently working on a recovery plan to relocate some victims but things are takes time and we should wait until mid of Jan.
On behalf of SD Indonesia, donate baby clothes and towels
|
Latest Development of the Merapi Eruption
On-the-Spot Report by Mr. Bagiyon Pandawa,
Vice Chairman for Organizational Affairs,
National Committee of Subud Indonesia
Subud Indonesia team of volunteers in one isolated village.
|
One Subud Member Isolated for a Week
Subud Indonesia provided a pick-up truck to evacuate villagers.
|
Once we were down the other affected areas, we found that the evacuees who had been living in barracks that we had visited several times and have been devastated by now are now scattered everywhere, including a Subud member and his thirteen family members who have moved to another evacuation camp. Senior members (i.e. Mrs. Mardi, Mrs. Narti, Mr. Susilo, Mr. Ary and Mr. Budi) from the Sleman Subud group and their families have also moved to an evacuation camp, since their homes are in the area at risk.
Life Must Start All Over Again
This land can no longer be farmed because of the Volcano.
|
The Majority of Evacuees Are Suffering Acute Respiratory Infection
Dust flying around on a highway
|
In other locations, there are still many villages that are not yet recorded in the inventory by the NDMA and the local ECU. The aggregated data provided in the website http://merapi.combine.or.id is incomplete. Vulnerable and isolated areas are of course put on the priority scale of the Subud Indonesia Coordinating Post, such as the villages and hamlets in Prambanan District in the Klaten Regency, the villages in Muntilan District in the Magelang Regency, and the villages in Turi District in Sleman Regency. The food stock is only enough for two days.
That means thousands of masks, thousands of tons of rice, thousands of liters of cooking oil, thousands of copies of books and stationeries etc., are still very much needed in an unlimited time. PPK SUBUD INDONESIA©2010
12 November 2010
Update from Anto Dwiastoro of the Subud Indonesia committee:
Please find attached an updated report from the coordinator of Subud Indonesia Coordinating Post in the disaster stricken area, Mr. Bagiyon Pandawa, and some photos taken by him. The Chairman of the National Committee, Mr. A.A. Luthfie, would like to affirm that reports like the one attached hereby as well as the previous ones are merely intended to give an account of what happened to Subud members in Indonesia, and not planned to solicit donations out of pity.
Thus, the National Committee of Subud Indonesia has decided not to accept the financial support provided by SDIA after we had discussed the matter and referred ourselves to Bapak's talk that expects Subud members not to ask for donations if they want to help others, and instead working for it from his or her own income obtained from enterprises. The National Committee, through the Subud Indonesia Coordinating Post in Sleman, Yogyakarta, will help distribute donations that may come from WSA member countries though, but we will not intentionally solicit donations in any form to, particularly, parties outside of Subud.
On behalf of the National Committee of Subud Indonesia, however, I would like express profuse thanks for assistances in any form the WSA had provided for Subud members who have become victims of the Merapi eruption that is still going on now.
Report: The Merapi volcanic eruption
until yesterday (November 10) is still seething with a vertical burst of
superheated steam that reached up to 800 meters into the air. This adds to the
woes of the people living in the slopes of the mountain in the Magelang Regency
(43 kilometers north of Yogyakarta), especially in the Muntilan District and
the surrounding. Drivers who drive along the Yogyakarta-Semarang highway should
be extremely careful when entering the Magelang Regency as volcanic ashes cover
the asphalt road with a thickness of 7 centimeters, scattering densely along
the road with limited visibility. When exposed to water/rain it will become
stickier and can damage the surface of the road and make it bumpy. Until this
report was written, the impact faced by people who survived within a radius of
18 kilometers is a volcanic ash rain that threatens health plus the danger of
cold lava flood. The other side of the affected area was a village then used as
evacuation camp for the people coming from a neighboring village which lies
within a radius closer to Merapi, but the government through the National
Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and the local Executive Coordination Unit
(ECU) are more focused on the evacuees rather than the villagers who originally
live in the evacuation camp. Once traced, the aid is indeed for the evacuees,
and not for the local residents. This portrays the disorganized handling of aid
in the location, which escaped the attention of the government and the media.
Mrs. Sutami, a Subud member from
the Sleman group who lives in the village of Sedayu in Muntilan District of
Magelang, which is 16 kilometers away from Merapi had been isolated and lost
contact after the most devastating eruption ever occurred in the history of
Merapi in November 2. The eruption caused villagers in Sedayu scrambled in
tense darkness to save themselves, but adequate transportation was not
available in the village. Some people eventually took refuge in the mosque and
village homes. Followed by a power outage which has lasted until today, resulted
in all electronic devices including telephones and cell-phones not working
properly. Whereas previously, Mrs. Sutami was a volunteer for the Subud
Indonesia Coordinating Post for four days. During the week, the villagers as well
as those from the surrounding did not dare to leave their homes because thick
volcanic ashes rained constantly and were strewn with a thickness of 3
centimeters on the roofs, and many houses collapsed, unable to withstand the
load of the ashes. Thousands of coconut trees went down also. Thousands of
hectares of paddy crop ready for harvest and chili are destroyed due to the
volcanic ashes, compounded by ashes that are exposed to rain and river water which makes them sticky and
barren. Only today (November 11), there are some villagers who took the
initiative to turn on a generator for lights and charging of cell-phones. Only
after communication had been recovered evacuation, efforts are carried out.
Mrs. Sutami found herself among the evacuees. The distribution of food and
clothes were directly received by the villagers, witnessed by the local village
head. There are currently some evacuees staying at the Subud Indonesia
Coordinating Post.
Once we were down in the other affected areas, we found that the evacuees who had been living in barracks that we had visited several times are now scattered everywhere, including a Subud member and his thirteen family members who have moved to another evacuation camp. Senior members (i.e. Mrs. Mardi, Mrs. Narti, Mr. Susilo, Mr. Ary and Mr. Budi) from the Sleman Subud group and their families have also moved to an evacuation camp, since their homes are in the area at risk.
The destroyed infrastructure
and agricultural land forced people living on the mountain slopes of Merapi to
start rebuilding from zero. The paddy fields that are covered by volcanic ashes
will take one to three years to return to normal and regain its fertility.
Traders/entrepreneurs as well as other economic sectors are paralyzed,
including the agricultural pride of the Sleman and Magelang Regencies, i.e. salak
and rambutan plantations. Rice farming and vegetables are completely
destroyed, with total losses estimated at 232 billion IDR.
Thousands of evacuees and people who survived in villages within a radius less than 20 kilometers away from the volcano are suffering respiratory problems. Besides the lack in the availability of masks, many residents are reluctant to use the masks, including the children. This is strengthened by information gained from medics and doctors who received many patients suffering respiratory problems and eye irritation.
In other locations, there are still many villages that are not yet recorded in the inventory by the NDMA and the local ECU. The aggregated data provided in the website http://merapi.combine.or.id is incomplete. Vulnerable and isolated areas are of course put on the priority scale of the Subud Indonesia Coordinating Post, such as the villages and hamlets in Prambanan District in the Klaten Regency, the villages in Muntilan District in the Magelang Regency, and the villages in Turi District in Sleman Regency. The food stock is only enough for two days. That means thousands of masks, thousands of tons of rice, thousands of liters of cooking oil, thousands of copies of books and stationery etc., are still very much needed for an indeterminate time.
8 November 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
|
Here is the information we have to date:
According to Anton Dwiastoro of the Subud Indonesia committee: "The Subud West Java committee took aid measures on behalf of the National Committee, and is currently still in the area of Sleman, a regency in the province of Jogjakarta Special Region, delivering aid to evacuees...The Subud Coordinating Post is established at the Sleman Subud House, coordinated by Suryadi Anwar (chairman of the West Java committee) and Bagiyon Bimananda (Vice Chairman for Organizational Affairs of Subud Indonesia's National Committee) along with Edhi Susilo (a helper from the Sleman group) and his wife, and Suhardjo (chairman of the regional Subud committee of Central Java & Jogjakarta). Subud Youth also participated in the undertaking. Also supporting are members from Surabaya, East Java. At this moment, eruptions still occur and superheated steam is threatening the area further south and east. Some people living in the vicinity of Sleman suffered minor to fatal burns, causing death. For this reason, the Subud Coordinating Post continues to operate as the center for the collection of donations coming from Subud members all over Indonesia. They are also expecting for a helping hand from members worldwide. Maybe, you can forward this message to those who might want to know about the circumstances and channel their aid as well."
***image1***Ariana Susanti, SD Indonesia Chairwoman writes about relief efforts to date: "For Merapi eruption, since many areas affected, SD Indonesia working together with all institutions also coordinate with local Subud organizations in Jogjakarta to help the victims. We really appreciated that many volunteers from Subud Indonesia involve helping the victim in surrounding areas in Merapi. May all the volunteers were blessed, protected and guided by God Almighty during their activities. As of today, SD Indonesia has received fund amount Rp.10.222.500,- or approx usd 1,150 which all from local Subud members. The fund has already distributed to Merapi victims amount to buy daily needs such us milks, soaps, toothpaste, shampoo, blankets, sanitary napkins and used clothes. Our next plan is Children 4 Care program, which collecting toys, children book stories to children victims in Merapi and Mentawai. For next recovery programs, SD Indonesia will conduct clean water program in several locations collaborate with SkyJuice Foundation from Australia, as we did in West Sumatra for the earthquake victims last year. We will coordinate with BNPB (National Body for Disaster Management) to help the customs clearance to import the equipment. We will also construct the tower and tank using manpower from the local community and prepare training on the system’s maintenance. SkyJuice will provide the equipment and technical expertise for it installation."
SDIA is has already sent $2000 from its Emergency Relief Fund to help support the relief effort and will channel all donated funds through SD Indonesia and Subud Indonesia. If you would like to make a donation to support relief to victims of the Mount Merapi eruptions and other related disasters, please go to our website http://donations.susiladharma.org/humanitarian-relief/index.shtml and make an earmarked donation to Indonesia Relief 2010 via Paypal, bank wire or by mailing in a cheque.
May our thoughts and prayers be with the victims of the Mount Merapi disaster,
Virginia Thomas
Executive Director
Susila Dharma International Association