Christian relief agencies bring desperately needed aid to South East Asia

Cafod, Christian Aid, Tearfund and World Vision have teams or partner teams responding in Indonesia, The Philippines and Vietnam.

In Indonesia, where latest reports put the death toll at more than 700 with over 300 people still missing, some 200,000 houses have been either damaged or destroyed. There is an increasing urgency to reach the rural villages around the flattened city of Padang that are among the worst affected by the earthquake.

Sibirani, Executive Director of Tearfund’s partner agency KOTIB, speaking from a village where 90 per cent of houses have collapsed, said that people are still sleeping outside their collapsed houses without tents or blankets.

"They are eating food that they can find from within their collapsed houses or what we are giving them," said Sibirani.

"The mosque is currently the food distribution centre because that is one of the few buildings that has not collapsed. There are still some people buried in houses but many areas are inaccessible by vehicle because of the many landslides, especially in the hill areas away from the coast."

Medical supplies are urgently needed for many people that have been injured.

"There are not enough medicines and people are becoming sick with no protection from mosquitoes," added Sibirano. "People only have the clothes they were standing in and no other possessions as everything is buried in the rubble."

Cafod are also reaching remote villages in the region and are distributing tarpaulins to families yet to receive any direct aid, over a week after the earthquake. Caritas, a partner agency of Cafod, is providing temporary shelter for 1600 families who were unaware that there were international efforts underway to assist them.

World Vision was on the ground and able to respond quickly across the region.

"In Indonesia, we’re distributing emergency kits, including shelter and provisions for clean water to tens of thousands of people," says World Vision UK Chief Executive Justin Byworth.

"In Vietnam, we're providing relief food assistance to 24,000 people, and in the Philippines, our staff and a huge number of volunteers are working with affected children and families, to help them recover.

"In all three countries, the recovery of children is our focus. We are running a number of Child Friendly Spaces, providing safe places for children to learn basic skills to cope with the shocks and losses they've experienced."

Christian Aid’s Indonesian partners are providing food and essential items, clean water and medical teams to help meet the immediate humanitarian needs of up to 50,000 families - approximately 250,000 people. The programme will then begin to help communities rebuild their homes and livelihoods.

In The Philippines, Typhoon Ketsana left Manila’s sprawling metropolis 80 per cent underwater, with mudslides adding to the destruction in surrounding rural provinces. Some 4.27 million people are affected and the needs, on top of the overwhelming clear up operation, are enormous.

"The torrential rain in the Philippines highlights the disastrous effect climate change is having on the world’s poorest communities," says Nick Guttman, Head of the Humanitarian Division at Christian Aid.

"The poorest people are most likely to live in areas most vulnerable to flooding and to have all their belongings swept away."

Pastor July managed to reach one of Manila’s evacuation centres with his family. When the flood water was knee deep on the second floor of the house in Marikina people started to panic. His daughter started to wheeze from an impending asthmatic attack.

"I encouraged her not to be afraid. My brother-in-law and I started to think how we could get out and move to the roof. We did not want to be trapped and drowned inside the house.

"With everything gone except an empty house, we now need the basic things to get us started – cooking utensils, cleaning stuff, sleeping items, clothes and materials/supplies for our children among others," he said.

"I trust God to provide all that we need through the generosity of those around me, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ."

Tearfund partner agency, The Philippines Children’s Ministry Network (PCMN) is reaching the most vulnerable families that have lost their fragile homes and in most cases all their possessions. They are distributing essential household items and food parcels to 10,000 families across Metro Manila as well as facilitating stress debriefing sessions and trauma counselling. The physical and psychological trauma among communities left homeless by the flooding is an increasing concern.

"Some are angry, scared and unable to think beyond survival or are plain desperate and hopeless," said Pine Gutierrez of PCMN. "We need people who are willing to help them process their difficult and painful experience so that they can overcome their fears, their concerns of not being able to do anything, having lost so much."

Christian Aid’s partner organisations SPI, COPE and UPA are focused on the most marginalised groups in society including female headed households, people living with disabilities, the elderly and people living with HIV.

"With support from the DEC, Christian Aid will be able to extend our support to provide 12,000 families with immediate humanitarian assistance and help for people to rebuild their lives and livelihoods," said Nick Guttman.

Typhoon Parma, which followed Ketsana bringing further destruction to Philippine provinces and Vietnam, is expected to change course with the potential to hit Vietnam for a second time in the coming week. Half a million people are already affected with some 150,000 people displaced and their homes destroyed. The World Health Organisation is warning of the increased risk of water-borne diseases, environmental pollution and a lack of safe water and damaged health facilities.

As well as immediate food aid, World Vision is working to provide clean water and torches for people in Danang, Quang Tri and Quang Nam Provinces. Relief aid will also provide rice seed, and building materials as well as repairing damaged schools and water systems.

To make a donation to the DEC Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam appeal – supporting this work and that of the other DEC agencies – visit www.dec.org.uk, call 0370 60 60 900, or donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank.