Donors Urged to Increase Support to Indonesian Earthquake Emergency Relief

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (June 16, 2006) - Emergency relief plans for the Indonesian earthquake are hamstrung because of lack of funds from donors and the international community, six nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working on relief efforts have announced.

Six NGOs — Oxfam International, Islamic Relief, World Vision, CARE, CARDI/IRC and Plan International, say they do not have the funds to carry out urgently needed relief work for those affected by the earthquake and appealed to the international community for help.

The Indonesian government estimates the number of homes destroyed is 156,964 with another 183,741 heavily damaged. Using an average of five people per home, that means up to 1.5 million people could be homeless — more than triple the number left homeless after the Asian tsunami hit the Indonesian province of Aceh.

The United Nations launched an appeal for $103 million for a six-month emergency relief and recovery plan on June 1, but so far just over $21 million has been pledged.

The earthquake, which struck the central Indonesian island of Java almost three weeks ago, killed 5,736 people and injured 78,206, according to latest Indonesian government figures.

Johan Kieft, CARE’s emergency response team leader in Indonesia, says, "The number of homeless people and extent of the damage is higher than after the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia.  Sanitation systems were destroyed in the earthquake and people are sleeping outside in unclean conditions, which means disease is already spreading frighteningly fast in some villages.  We're doing everything we can, but if relief operations don't get support needed to help all the survivors soon, things will get worse."

The six NGOs are working together with partner national and international NGOs, the UN, the Indonesian government and local communities to provide emergency relief,  including shelter, water, sanitation and health care.