CERF allocates $7 million for earthquake-affected populations in Western Sumatra, Indonesia
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A mother cooking for her children in Indonesia
[Photo: IRIN] |
20 October 2009: The Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated some $6.1 million from CERF to provide immediate aid to those most affected by the recent earthquake in Indonesia.
A series of powerful earthquakes struck off the western Sumatra coast on September 30 and October 1, 2009. The cumulative impact of these events caused broad destruction, killing over 1,000 people and injuring another 3,000. Damage to houses was widespread - rendering an estimated quarter of a million families homeless. Hospitals, schools, places of worship, government buildings and public infrastructure were all severely affected.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has received the largest allocation, some $2.5 million, to provide immediate food aid to those most affected by the earthquake and to ensure the coordination of telecommunications and air services within the humanitarian community. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was allocated $600,000 to improve the food security of farmers through emergency supplies of agricultural inputs. The World Health Organization (WHO) also received $600,000 for health sector support which will benefit 1.2 million people in the three most affected districts. In addition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received roughly $1.4 million to provide immediate protection to affected children, to re-open the school and education network in affected areas, and to establish a Water and Sanitation (WASH) emergency response plan in West Sumatra. UNICEF’s programmes will reach approximately 50,000 families and 32,000 children.
Another $ 360,000 has been allocated to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to administer rapid needs assessments and to address the immediate health needs of 1,600 pregnant women. The International Organization of Migration (IOM) has received $400,000 for two projects, one to provide emergency shelter for earthquake affected families, benefiting 7,000 people, and the other to provide public hygiene facilities in severely affected districts, benefiting 25,000 people. Finally, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been allocated over $1 million to remove and clear dangerous structures and to restore the capacity of the local government, ensuring access for emergency assistance and humanitarian response.
[Last update: 25 November 2009]