In Reply to: How to help Balinese help Acehenese posted by drdaz on Saturday, 1. January 2005 at 20:42 Bali Time:
Aceh Aid at IDEP
Earthquake/Tsunami Update - 31 December 2004, midnight
To all those that have sent e-mails, apologies if they remain unanswered we are are working as quickly as we can.
In Bali - IN BRIEF
Enormous amounts of donations in kind as well as cash have been received by the drop off points island wide are being channeled through several initiatives to support the relief effort in Aceh / Sumatra. We are working in cooperation with several organizations, including, but not limited to: Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS), Ary's Warung & The LKMD of Ubud, KAFE, Bali Cares and Tegun Gallery, Macan Tidur/The Sleeping Tiger, Environmental Bamboo Foundation, and PT Jika-POSKO Bantuan Bencana Aceh, Surfer Girl HQ & Aroma Café, Dijon / Alam Boga and Asana Kopi & Teh. Logistics of trucks and packing materials have been contributed by Bisama Cargo, Nusa Trans and Karunia. Aceh Aid Bucket Brigade aid packages are being prepared as an immediate survival and sanitation tool for families stricken by the disaster. Buckets can be dropped off at drop off locations. Drop off centers are relaying shipments to partner organizations and personnel in Sumatra.
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FIELD ACTIVITIES REPORT - IN BRIEF
We're doing the best we can to relay accurate information, however the situation on the ground is changing by the hour. Our contacts on the ground are reporting back to us as quickly as possible, with the best available information.
INITIATIVES FROM MEDAN
A second convoy of 17 trucks / vans left Medan with forestry and police at 5 am today, which has gotten as far as Langsa, and are on the road to Banda Aceh. The bad news is that it was pouring rain as the fleet went out. We've had the first reports of GAM (Aceh Independence Movement), causing problems on the road, they took 3 trucks of food in Biren. Also, en route, one truck in the convoy blew a tire and ended up on its side, one team member broke an arm but all are ok. No news as of yet as to how yesterday's convoy is managing to administer aid as we lost telephone contact with them for now.
Air drops by military helicopter have been observed using splatter type techniques, indiscriminately tossing out marginally valuable aid, such as boxes of dried noodles, in the Meulaboh area. And this, with no visible recipients on the ground, in many cases, over waterlogged areas. In contrast, our approach is to be able to focus aid appropriately, and intelligently, providing the best possible immediate and longer term Survival Value Per Kilo to visible, tangible recipients.
The Orangutan Information Centre (SOS-OIC) is continuing to purchase and pack supplies for the Aceh Aid Bucket Brigade with funds we have transferred to them in Medan.
INITIATIVES FROM PADANG
Two of our disaster relief volunteers, Lee and Sam are currently strategizing plans for entry into the remote island area north and west of Padang with a wonderful team of dedicated local diving and surfing companies who are mobilizing all of their available resources to get help to people who have had no assistance or contact with anyone from the outside for the past 5 days, since the disaster struck (there are about 35 dive and surf companies in the area). These teams have professional experience in navigating these waters, an understanding about where these remote populations are located and existing relationships with the local communities. They are launching the first boats tomorrow through challenging to pass debris filled areas.
They arrived at aprox 1pm in Padang, West Sumatra, with critical supplies and thousands of dollars to use for buying supplies on site. Lee is conducting a initial logistical field assessment and advising on the initial effort from the Padang side, while Sam (an experienced disaster field worker and engineer) is advising the team in logistical preparations and preparing to depart with the teams as soon as the special water purification filters that we are purchasing for him have arrived from Singapore. They have report that there are still lots of basic supplies available for purchase there.
Five liveaboard dive and surf vessels, including the Quicksilver vessel, have been pledged for aid use for two months free of charge. They are also in the process of gaining access to three 60-tonne cargo ships, although they will require dinghies to get to shore. We have knowledge of a party bringing in 4 zodiacs, destination unknown as of yet.
How you can help
Online Donations by Credit Card Now Possible (Tax deductible in US) via PayPal.com
Many thanks to Keith Pleas in Seattle & Lauren @Tides Foundation and others
1. Go to www.paypal.com
2. If you do not have a PayPal account set up, click "Sign Up" or "Join Now".
3. Follow all of the instructions for signing up with PayPal (they are rather complicated, so be patient).
4. When you are signed up, you are ready to send money.
5. Click "Send Money".
6. Follow instructions to send money, to acehaid@tides.org
7. Note: When you try to make your first payment, you will see beside the "amount" line, that you need to click there to "Verify Credit Limit" first, before you can make a payment.
A funding channel for Aceh Aid has now been established through the Tides Foundation www.tides.org, enabling donors to use credit cards to make payments to us from 45 countries around the world (tax deductible in US as our channeling organization - Tides - is 501c3). Transactions will be possible via our website beginning tomorrow. Donations will be rapidly dispatched to us via Tides, with 100% of your funds reaching us here.
Donations via our Indonesian Bank Account:
Account Name : Yayasan IDEP
ACCOUNT NO : 034.001229576.003
Bank : BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia), Cabang Ubud, Bali
Bank Address : Jl. Raya Ubud, Bali - Indonesia
SWIFT Code : BNINIDJA DPS
Matching Funds from Microsoft
Today we received news from the USA that we have been approved for matching funds from Microsoft for donations made by Microsoft personnel in the USA (to be reconfirmed tomorrow. - Ed.).
Drop Offs / Donations can be made at:
Ubud: Ary's Warung, Jl Raya Ubud, Tutmak's & IDEP foundation office - Jl Hanoman No 44b, Ubud
Denpasar: JIKA- POSKO Bantuan Bencana Aceh - Jalan Tjok Tresna #49, Renon, and / or UNUD & Warmadewa Universities
Kuta: Surfer Girl HQ & Aroma Café, Dijon / Alam Boga
Seminyak: Asana Kopi & Teh (across from Made's Warung)
Our goal is to refine our cargo channels so that we can send stuff efficiently and reliably to our contacts on the ground and get the aid to the people who need it most as quickly as possible.
Current priority list for donations is:
PRIORITY No1 - EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPLIES OF ALL KINDS, TOOLS FOR TRIAGE & ON SITE OPERATIONS
Other Items much needed
· High quality pool chlorine
· Hydrogen peroxide
· Iodine (LOTS) the pure kind not betadine
· As much Oralite rehydration salts as we can get our hands on
·
Lye (Kapur used to mix with cement)
· BIG Pots that can be used for boiling water
· Shovels
· Generators GENSET
· Kero 'Butterfly' Stoves (with tank hose and bicycle pumps)
· Empty large 20 Lt aqua bottles
· Large buckets (the big black ones with sealable lids)
· Satellite phones & Walkie talkies
· Solar chargers for hand phones and laptops
· Cellphone 'pulsa' cards
· Soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, talcum powder, sanitary napkins
· First Aid medications & bandages, Betadine, Vitamins (especially for infants & children)
· Medicines for diarrhea, Panadol for fever and pain, cold & cough medicines, antibiotic creams
· Non perishable food, rice and instant noodles
· Candles, lighters, gas lanterns, torches (flashlights) and batteries
· Linens, Towels, bedding, hammocks, mosquito nets, large plastic bags & other containers
· Any (if possible quick drying) clothing
· Mosquito repellant (coils, creams & sprays)
· Cooking & eating utensils, cook stoves
· Tents, tarpaulins and ropes
· canned fish
· salted dry fish
· canned milk
· cooking oil
· other packaged food items
· women's sanitary napkins
· cajeput oil and telon oils
Information for potential Field Volunteers:
We are coordinating volunteers to go to Sumatra. Please contact us at hp: 081-338-401653 for more info only if you are a skilled volunteer in any of the following categories (doctors, paramedics, peace-corps trained level volunteers) with Bahasa Indonesia skills, financial independence, vaccinated, valid visa, willing to commit to several weeks at least.
Discounted vaccinations are available for volunteers via IDEP Aceh Aid initiative that are going to Sumatra from the International SOS clinic in Bali.
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We now have a 24-hour Press Contact Hotline: (from overseas) +62 81338 846 8073 / (within Indonesia) 081 338 468073
Please direct legitimate press inquiries to this number.
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