One week later: Oxfam relief reaches 100,000 Indonesia earthquake victims

One week after a powerful earthquake rocked central Java, Oxfam and its local partners have provided emergency aid to 100,000 people in remote areas around Yogyakarta.

Now the agency is moving towards the next phase of its aid response, helping quake survivors rebuild their shattered lives.

“We’ve been able to act quickly and deliver life-saving water, tarpaulins and hygiene kits during these first seven days,” said David Macdonald, Senior Program Manager for Oxfam’s Yogyakarta office. “Now we have to help people put their lives back together again.”

The agency was able to mount a speedy response when the quake hit because of pre-positioned relief stocks and contingency plans for a possible eruption of the nearby Merapi volcano.

In the first week of the emergency effort, working closely with local partners, Oxfam delivered 90,000 liters of water, 12,500 tarpaulins and 20,000 other ‘non-food items’ which include jerry cans, soap, sanitary towels and sarongs.

Although tarpaulin was an immediate way to give families some protection from torrential night rains, survivors will need more robust shelters in the coming days. Oxfam will be providing zinc sheeting and tool-boxes so they can build their own shelters. Oxfam’s teams will also build latrines, continue to provide clean water, and explore ways of helping quake survivors rebuild their livelihoods.

The agency will continue working in Yogyakarta throughout the three-month ‘state of emergency’ period declared by the Indonesian government, targeting two sub-districts in Central Java.

“Over the next three months, we want to ensure that the poorest people with limited access to clean drinking water and other essential resources get the tools they need to move on towards true recovery,” said Macdonald.

The recovery program is currently budgeted at US$9.4 million (£5 million), and Oxfam is appealing to international donors to rise to the scale of the emergency with generous pledges.