Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund

As reports began to spread of a massive 7.5-magnitude earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on September 28, it was hard to believe some of the first images that reached the media, like the cellphone video of a 15 foot-high tsunami sweeping through the coastal city of Palu, or the aerial photos showing how soil liquefaction triggered by the earthquake leveled Palu’s Balaroa neighborhood, destroying 1,747 homes.

In the days that followed, we started to comprehend the full extent of the devastation—the earthquake and tsunami had combined to claim 2,256 lives, injure 10,679, and displaced more than 206,000 people from their homes.

In response, thousands of generous GlobalGivers like you stood with the people of Indonesia in their time of need, donating more than $433,000 to fund community-led relief and recovery efforts by our trusted nonprofit partners. Here’s a look at the progress so far:

• Yayasan Usaha Mulia has set up two emergency response centers—one in Palu and one in Donggala—to provide 1,500 affected residents with essentials like food, clean water, medicine, and shelter. Once this emergency response phase is over, they plan to transition to delivering psychosocial services to help people cope with the trauma they’ve experienced.
• Yayasan Bukit Kehidupan Ungasan has been coordinating with local partners to distribute food, hygiene supplies, fuel, and first aid kits, and plans to rebuild and renovate a quake-damaged school.
• Staff from Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) Foundation participated in search and rescue missions and distributed food, water, tents, blankets, and hygiene supplies to survivors in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. They’re now partnering with local governments to build integrated community shelters that will contain classrooms, medical clinics, toilets, clean water access, and storage for humanitarian aid supplies.
• Team Rubicon Global staff deployed to affected communities across Sulawesi to distribute emergency water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies, as well as perform damage assessments through the use of drones.
• In addition to food, shelter, and medicine, people need access to information they can trust in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Lifeline Energy is distributing emergency Polaris radio lights to survivors, which provide 24/7 access to broadcast news and information, a bright LED light, the ability to charge cell phones, and need only the sun or winding by hand to operate.
• Internews is working with local reporters and the Association of Indonesian Journalists to rebuild one of the main radio stations in Palu and develop an emergency media center to connect quake-affected communities with recovery and relief services.
• Circle of Health International is working with local partners for safe temporary housing, food, water, and transportation for earthquake survivors.

In the months to come, we’ll continue to keep you updated on the progress of the recovery. And thank you again, not just for donating to our relief fund, but for making the smart decision to donate cash, rather than physical goods. Giving money after a disaster allows for quicker and more efficient deployment of resources and supports, rather than disrupts, local economies.

Warmly,
Will Frechette + the GlobalGiving Team