In the interest of improving the coordination of relief efforts, Nurani Dunia is working with other organizations in Aceh and North Sumatra including SORAK, Dompet Dhuafa, BUMN Peduli, MER-C and Radio NIKOYA. Nurani Dunia extends condolences to the many team members at SORAK and Radio NIKOYA who lost loved ones in the tragedy.

The Nurani Dunia team reports that there remains dire need in many areas. It is currently working with numerous donors, both private and public, to purchase, ship, and distribute emergency relief supplies in the region. Donations have initially gone for food, water, medication, tents, and transportation. Staff members are now working to overcome logistical issues so that more support can be provided for communities within some of hardest hit areas. Nurani Dunia is currently concentrating on four activities in its relief and recovery efforts:

1) Emergency Aid Distribution - Staff members continue to collect, sort, pack, and ship donations of relief supplies from Jakarta to Medan, Lhokseumawe, and Meulaboh for distribution in the affected areas. Many communities are in need of medicine, emergency communication equipment, water purification kits with electric generators, tools, building materials, small cooking stoves, cooking supplies, and other household items. Nurani Dunia is grateful to General Electric for the recent donation of an industrial size water purifier.

2) Crisis Communication Facilitation - Communications and logistical problems have seriously hindered aid efforts in many remote areas. Nurani Dunia is helping community-based NGOs and local governments overcome immediate obstacles so that they may deal more effectively with the impact of the disaster in their communities. The emphasis is on providing equipment, rather than untrained volunteers. Nurani Dunia is grateful to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded the procurement of five CB radio base stations, 45 compatible walkie-talkies, 50 cell-phones, 10 satellite phones, and one SSB communication rig. Nurani Dunia then worked with SORAK and NIKOYA to distribute the equipment to hospitals, medical NGOs, and humanitarian groups assisting victims. More equipment is needed at this time to support a larger communication network in order to reach some of the remote regions that have been hardest hit by the disaster. There is an urgent need to get information more directly to victims so that they can be better informed about where services are available. Nurani Dunia is helping with GIS mapping to coordinate, assess, and monitor service sites and need areas. However, keeping the public informed remains a challenge. Nurani Dunia is currently seeking funds for the reconstruction of public radio stations as well as for the purchase and distribution of radios.

3) Orphan Care - Many organizations are attempting to care for children whose families have been lost in the disaster. With estimates of between 35,000 to 38,000 orphans now in the region, the scale of need is immense. Nurani Dunia does not support the relocation or adoption of these children outside of their local areas without first trying to find relatives or possible adoptive/foster parents close to their homes. It is felt that the loss of their cultural home added to the loss of their parents could result in even more psychological stress. Nurani Dunia is supporting the government in the search for existing relatives of the children. If none can be found the next step is to try to find adoptive/foster parents in Aceh or North Sumatra and to help orchestrate funding to help with their care. Another plan is to build and organize funding of traditional boarding schools in Aceh for children who cannot find relatives or adoptive/foster parents. It is expected that funds will be needed for years to come in order to sustain Nurani Dunia's efforts in this area.

4) Disaster Response Education - It is clear that disaster response materials are needed to educate people how to address immediate issues such as decontaminating water supplies, administering malaria medicine, securing unsafe buildings, etc. With strong aftershocks occurring frequently, Nurani Dunia and other local NGOs are developing educational materials to better inform the public about how to prevent disease, evaluate and reconstruct buildings, and take other measures to guard against further tragedy.

This update is based on communications with Dr. Imam Prasodjo and Brett Noel in Jakarta on January 8, 2004.