ACTION AGAINST HUNGER SETTING-UP EMERGENCY INTERVENTION WITH A LOCAL PARTNER TO ANSWER TO THE MOST URGENT NEEDS

Paris, 1st October 2018 – Four members of the indonesian mission of Action Against Hunger are going to Palu in Sulawesi region which has been affected by 7,4 earthquake and a devastating tsunami on Friday 28 of September. Action Against Hunger will partner with the local organization YEU to answer to the most urgent needs.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 10 km deep and struck some 27 km east of the coast from Donggala, in Sulawesi region. Subsequently, a tsunami struck Palu and Donggala cities. Power supplies and telecommunications have been crippled, and aftershocks are continuing. First reports mention 844 fatalities, 48,000 displaced and 1,5 million people affected by the disaster. These 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, 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 3 days, we coordinate with Indonesian government and others agencies in Jakarta to have as much as possible information on the impact of the disaster. We are also in a close coordination with a previous local partner, YEU, to have a better understanding of the needs and setting-up emergency intervention including nutrition, water and sanitation” said Shashwat Saraf, directeur regional des operations pour Action Against Hunger.

YEU is one of YAKKUM’s unit, which was established in 2001 with a focus on emergency response and disaster risk reduction initiatives. YEU is also a member of the Humanitarian Forum Indonesia.

Action Against Hunger is 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 authority to prevent, detect and treat malnutrition through multi-sectorial approach. Action Against Hunger has been often implicated in the humanitarian responses on multiple other natural disasters affecting the country over the years.