Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

Volunteers of the Tzu Chi Foundation, in Indonesia, moved at once to help victims of a serious earthquake that shook Banda Aceh in Indonesia on December 7. Within two days, they were delivering relief supplies and medical care.

The quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, struck Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra just after 5.00 a.m. on December 7. It killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children, wounded over 600 and damaged more than 245 buildings. The people there are urgently in need of food, medical care and drinking water.

As soon as they learnt of the disaster, the Indonesian branch of Tzu Chi moved into action. It organized a relief team of 55 volunteers, including 15 medical personnel, among them anaesthetists, bone specialists and nurses. There are also 20 volunteers from Aceh and Medan. The branch at once brought together seven tonnes of rice and 3,000 sets of relief goods, including cotton quilts and clothing, 15 cases of milk cartons, 3,600 boxes of biscuits, 310 cases of mineral water, 1,000 cases of instant noodles as well as medical goods used in emergencies and other daily necessities.

The team left as soon as it could for the affected area, taking the relief goods with them. By the afternoon of December 9, they had distributed more than 3,000 relief goods at six government shelters, including schools and mosques, in the quake-hit area.