On May 27, 2006, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Indonesia near the densely populated city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java, killing over 5,700 people and injuring thousands more. CARE is providing safe water for 200,000 survivors and distributing food and emergency supplies through local vendors.

Background
Yogyakarta is the ancient royal capital of Java and home to more than 3 million people. The earthquake shook the area outside the city, destroying homes and villages for miles around. The official death toll now stands at 5,760. Exact numbers of people affected are difficult to estimate, but almost 40,000 survivors were injured and as many as 1.5 million were left homeless in the aftermath of the disaster. Though the death toll is much lower, the overall destruction and humanitarian need is greater than that caused by the December 2004 tsunami.

CARE's Work
CARE's disaster relief operations are in full swing in the earthquake-stricken area, providing survivors with much-needed access to clean water, food and emergency supplies. CARE has worked in Indonesia since 1967 and has over 1,400 staff members on the ground, extensive emergency experience and strong relationships with the Indonesian government and local partner organizations. Our response is addressing the most pressing needs of the survivors:

• Emergency shelter and supplies: CARE's relief effort is focusing on the remote area of Klaten, where we're distributing tarps, tents and emergency supplies to some 12,000 families.
  
  
• Safe drinking water: In coordination with our internationally-respected local partner, Dian Desa, we are distributing a water purification solution called Air Rahmat ("safe healthy water") to 200,000 survivors and establishing systems to monitor the spread of disease and respond to outbreaks. Clean water is absolutely essential in the early days of the disaster response to prevent a "second wave" of deaths from water-borne diseases such as diarrhea.
  
  
• Emergency food and household items: We have started a market-based food and emergency supply distribution program in the affected areas. The market-based approach, used in the tsunami response, will provide 20,000 people with monthly vouchers redeemable through local vendors for food and essential household items such as toothpaste, sanitary napkins for women and soap.
  
  
• Local health care: CARE's mobile clinic, experienced doctors and health workers visit villages to provide care and track and prevent the spread of disease. CARE also visits families in their homes, to ensure we reach people who are unable to come to the mobile clinic.
  
  

"CARE's program is using local resources, local staff and local solutions to provide swift and effective relief to survivors," says Johan Kieft, CARE's emergency team coordinator on the ground. "We're building on lessons learned during the tsunami, taking our successful programs from that emergency response and replicating them here."