INDONESIA: ACTION AGAINST HUNGER TO SET UP EMERGENCY INTERVENTION WITH A LOCAL DISASTER RESPONSE PARTNER

London, October 1, 2018– A team of Action Against Hunger Indoensia emergency staff are travelling to Palu in Sulawesi to partner with local organisation YEU, following the 7.4 RS earthquake and devastating tsunami on Friday 28 of September. Initial reports cite at least 844 fatalities, 48,000 displaced, and 1.5 million people affected, with numbers expected to rise.

Urgent humanitarian needs include evacuation and management of injuries, support of medical and health services, access to food and clean water, and blankets and emergency shelters distribution for affected people. The response is coordinating by the government, which is taking a strong lead in ensuring that basic infrastructures are restored and access for humanitarian response is guaranteed.

“During the last three days, we have closely coordinated with the Indonesian Government and other agencies in Jakarta to gather as much information as possible about the impact of the disaster. We are also in a close coordination with our local partner, Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU), to gain a better understanding of needs and relevant emergency interventions, including nutrition, clean water and sanitation,” said Shashwat Saraf, Action Against Hunger’s Asia Regional Operations Director.

YEU is one of YAKKUM's unit which was established in 2001 with a focus on emergency response and disaster risk reduction initiatives. By 2013, YEU had provided humanitarian assistance to more than 200 villages in Indonesia, East Timor, Myanmar and the Philippines, as well as encouraging partnerships with 350 community organisations throughout Indonesia.

Action Against Hunger has been based in Indonesia since 1998 and has projects in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) region. A team of 16 people work in the country in close collaboration with the authorities to prevent, detect and treat malnutrition. Action Against Hunger has been often involved in humanitarian responses to multiple other natural disasters affecting the country.