British Jews help raise £200,000 for World Jewish Relief’s Indonesia Appeal
Fundraising drive helps those affected by the deadly earthquake and tsunami which killed more than 2,000 people in September
British Jews have raised more than £200,000 for World Jewish Relief’s Indonesia Appeal, after an earthquake and tsunami killed more than 2,000 people in September and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
With more than 1,000 still missing and 2,500 injured, the charity’s humanitarian programme manager Mireille Flores this week reported back on the devastation and praised the “huge generosity” of supporters.
WJR’s latest appeal has now raised £206,000 for emergency relief kits for survivors in Central Sulawesi, which was hit by widespread liquefaction and a six metre wave.
“The huge number of missing and dead is horrifying but simply reporting the numbers does not tell the full story,” she said.
“There are hundreds of thousands more people who witnessed extensive loss of life and the destruction of their homes and their communities. They now have to live with this trauma, while also struggling to survive themselves.”
Sulawesi has a tropical climate and is about to enter a six-month rainy season. Flores said she had seen some of the 980 camps housing the homeless but the quake and tsunami damaged infrastructure including waste management plants.
The charity’s kits, delivered through a trusted local partner organisation, include toolkits for the homeless to build their own shelters, because Flores said many families were currently living in tents “put together with foraged items”.
They also contain hygiene kits with items such as nappies, sanitary products, underwear and menstrual products “because in the midst of an emergency, biological processes do not stop… Ignoring this fact removes the dignity of women and girls and risks serious public health challenges”.
Supporters who wish to donate can do so through WJR’s website.
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