(Graphic courtesy of Relief Web)
Indonesia (MNN) ― Survivors of Indonesia's deadly earthquake have developed illnesses caused by poor living conditions in West Sumatra. Shelter and food remain key concerns in the mountainous regions weeks after the disaster. Helping them is a monumental task that has the traditional Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) scrambling.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency, 809 people died in the magnitude 7.6 quake. 241 more are listed as missing--numbers aggravated by temblor-triggered landslides in Padang Pariaman. In addition, 1,250 people are injured and more than 135,300 buildings severely damaged.
Roadways also collapsed, cutting off access to smaller villages. Weeks after the initial quake, there are some villages who have had no help at all. Al Goff with Global Aid Network (GaiN USA) spoke to us from the United Nations' Disaster Headquarters. "They have been absolutely beside themselves trying to figure out why nobody has shown up."
Aid groups are getting immediate needs met in large-population centers. Goff says remote villages are too far down the priority list. "What we've tried to do is really focus our attention in areas that are very difficult to reach--villages where people just can't get to."
GaiN USA is working with local partners to supply food, water, medical supplies and other essential aid to those who desperately need it. Their Disaster Assistance Relief Teams endeavor to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief and are committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.
The areas where they're sending medical teams are mainly Muslim areas, making ministry trickier. However, Goff says, "What we have generally found is that when you have gone that far out of your way to help, people do ask for the hope that is within you. So, we told our people, 'Be absolutely willing to share, to love, to pray.'"
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