World Vision Distributes Over $1 Million in Tsunami Relief after First Week
World Vision's office in Sri Lanka has so far reached a targeted 200,000 people in 15 districts across 12 counties.
One of the largest Christian relief and development organizations in the world provided $1.2 million in aid in the first week of relief effort to Sri Lanka—one of the nations most affected by last week’s quake-tsunami disaster that has left more than 150,000 dead across 12 countries. World Vision, whose office in Sri Lanka is helping people in the island nation, has so far reached a targeted 200,000 people in 15 districts across 12 counties.
According to World Vision, its relief teams have directly distributed cooked food, dry rations, kitchen utensils, clothing, medicines and water to the displaced living in temporary shelters in the affected districts.
Of the 15 affected districts, six are located in the north and east and consist of areas controlled by the Government and areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)—the main Tamil anti-government organization operating in Sri Lanka. World Vision’s office in Sri Lanka, better known as World Vision Lanka, has an established presence in some of the LTTE controlled areas and has already distributed aid there.
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So far, Emergency Relief teams deployed in Ampara, Batticaloa, Killinochchi, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Gampaha, Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee, have distributed relief packs to 30,908 families – benefiting a total of 153,700 people in these districts.
World Vision reports that the majority of aid items - including food, clothing, hygiene products, sleeping mats, pillows and blankets - were purchased locally and that additional aid is scheduled to arrive on several humanitarian airlifts in the coming days. Additional vehicles to deliver aid are expected to arrive at Colombo airport Friday, as well as blankets for relief distribution.
Two other relief flights are scheduled to arrive on Thursday. The first, a 747-cargo plane from the World Vision/World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Brindisi, Italy, will bring 83 tons of blankets, sleeping mats, tarpaulins, cooking sets and soap. The second flight from Dubai loaded with 55 tons of equipment including jerry cans, tarps, blankets, and water filters is also due for arrival. The goods will be rapidly transported to areas in need within the next few days. Additional humanitarian flights are being arranged for next week.
Meanwhile in Indonesia’s tsunami-ravaged Aceh province, World Vision Indonesia commenced its relief aid distribution on Tuesday, delivering food aid received from the World Food Program (WFP) to some 4,100 people displaced by the quake-tsunami catastrophe. World Vision distributed the WFP food aid in cooperation with Mercy Corps and CARE.
WV Indonesia Director James Tumbuan, who witnessed the distribution in Indrapuri village some 12 miles southeast of Banda Aceh, said, “I saw sincere happiness in the faces of the people upon receiving the aid.”
World Vision relief officers Jimmy Nadapdap and Fadli Usman, among the first relief workers reaching Banda Aceh two days after the Dec. 26 catastrophe, were also very relieved the distribution could take place on this day. According to World Vision, it had been quite tense the past few days due to a stalled shipment of the non-food goods from Jakarta to Aceh.
The food aid, consisting of rice and fortified biscuits, was transported in five trucks to the temporary camp at the main mosque in Indrapuri, where hundreds of displaced people from Banda Aceh area have sought refuge. Thousands others have been accommodated by the local people in the neighbourhood.
“I am deeply touched by the strong solidarity of the local community,” said Tumbuan. “Although they have no family ties, they welcome the victims to stay at their houses and provide them with food.”
World Vision reported that the people were elated when the relief goods arrived. “They quickly helped us unload the goods,” Tumbuan said. “They even invited me to observe their public kitchen behind the mosque.”
Within the next two days the food aid distribution will be followed by the distribution of tents and family kit items for some 5,000 people. World Vision reports that the trucks carrying the relief goods are on the way to Banda Aceh from North Sumatra capital Medan and major oil/gas town Lhok Seumawe in eastern Aceh. The trucks were expected to arrive early Wednesday in Banda Aceh. Similar non-food relief items for 20,000 more people are expected to arrive in Banda Aceh a few days later. A chartered plane was also scheduled to fly in from Jakarta to Banda Aceh with some 1,500 family packages on Jan. 5.
The agency also reports that it has received the green light to distribute food and non-food aid to displaced people in some areas in Banda Aceh, neighboring Aceh Besar district and in western-coast of Aceh province.
“We will be supporting the Acehnese people for at least one year,” Tumbuan noted.
Currently, some 20 WV Indonesia relief staff members are being deployed to Aceh to manage the relief operations. Scores of local people have been recruited to ease the distribution of goods.
In addition to these efforts, World Vision Indonesia is also planning to set up 20 children's centers, to provide support to traumatized children.
