wfn.org | AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE Tsunami Relief TOPS

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE Tsunami Relief TOPS 2-Million;

Humanitarian Organization Earmarks SECOND DISTRIBUTION to REGION

"Peace Cadres" Look at How Relief Efforts Can Contribute to

Long-Term Peace-Building in Indonesia

Philadelphia, PA (January 14) - The American Friends Service Committee 
(AFSC) has raised more than two million dollars in support of its Tsunami 
relief effort.	New funds to support more medical personnel, equipment and 
supplies have been sent to the Aceh Province of Indonesia, where the risk 
of disease and infection is escalating.

The bulk of new work will be concentrated around the coastal city of 
Meulaboh, the closest major city to the earthquake's epicenter and perhaps 
the hardest hit.  43,000 of the area's 200,000 inhabitants were killed in 
the tsunami.  The first wave of medical supplies were sent to Banda Aceh, 
Lhokseumawe and Nias in the Aceh Province.

A logistical infrastructure for a health station - complete with medical 
and humanitarian teams - and a transit post have been set up in Medan.	Up 
to 800 people a day are being treated for fever, diarrhea, and skin 
disease.  The transit post has already shipped more than 40 tons of 
supplies to Meulaboh.

Andreas Subiyono, director of our Indonesian partner agency, the Society 
for Health, Education, Environment and Peace (SHEEP), reports that more 
than 270,000 displaced people have fled to camps in South and West Aceh.

"Prices for basic necessities in the region such as oil, sugar, rice and 
soap have increased by as much as 60%," Subiyono reports. "Clean water and 
sanitation remain major concerns as diseases continue to spread.  Housing 
for the displaced continues to be a problem with people sleeping in mosques 
and under bridges."

SHEEP teams will concentrate on immediate medical and food needs and on 
mental health counseling for survivors.  More than 200 Indonesian students 
have volunteered to work with SHEEP to assist its medical and humanitarian 
teams.

A team of 25 volunteers is at work in Lhokseumawe, where communications 
infrastructure is better, thanks to the large number of international firms 
based in the port. In Meulaboh, a team of 23 volunteers has been assisting 
in removing bodies.

"Systems to supply camps with food, water, and medicine are still being 
established, resulting in shortages in many places," he adds.

SHEEP's humanitarian post in Ujung Pateha - a village 20 kilometers from 
the urban center of Meulaboh - is serving 8500 displaced people.  This is 
only one of 74 camps for survivors in the area.

Backed by an 87-year history working for peace, justice and reconciliation 
in troubled areas of the world, the American Friends Service Committee 
(AFSC) is a faith-based organization grounded in Quaker beliefs respecting 
the dignity and worth of every person. Its humanitarian relief efforts 
throughout World Wars I and II were among the reasons AFSC and its British 
counterpart received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Quakers worldwide.

Serving as director of the American Relief Administration, President 
Herbert Hoover commissioned the Service Committee to launch massive 
programs to feed millions of starving children in post-war Germany.  On 
behalf of the United Nations, AFSC administered relief for over 200,000 
refugees in the Gaza Strip in the 1940s. During World War II, AFSC provided 
temporary aid, housing and other assistance to Japanese Americans in 
efforts to get them out of internment camps.

# # #

The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that 
includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, 
peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the 
worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence 
and injustice.

Jenny Shields
Director, Media and Public Relations
American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: 215.241.7060
FAX: 215.241.7275