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SA volunteers help in Sumatra
04/01/2005 08:40 - (SA)
Johannesburg - A team of volunteers from the South African humanitarian organisation Global Relief were among the first relief workers to reach Meulaboh, on Indonesia's island of Sumatra, one of the regions most devastated by last week's tsunamis.
The organisation said in a press release on Monday that more South African nurses were needed to assist in the relief efforts.
"Global Relief is now mobilising an additional team to supply this need in Indonesia," read the release.
Team leader and executive director, Murray Louw, reported over a satellite phone to Global Relief's Kempton Park headquarters: "There are many small towns still without medical help, and there are many sick people."
Calls for more help
More than half of Meulaboh's 80 000 residents are estimated to have perished in the disaster, the organisation said.
The Global Relief team includes doctors, nurses, trauma interveners, engineering and search and rescue personnel.
"They work under the direction of the United Nations Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)," read the release.
The humanitarian organisation also said it had sent a ton of food, medical supplies, camping equipment and blankets donated by the public and private companies with the relief team.
Meanwhile, other teams of Global Relief volunteers are preparing to leave from South Africa to Sri Lanka and possibly India in the coming weeks, read the release.
"We are getting calls to send as many medical personnel as possible, as soon as possible, to Sri Lanka," said Madelaine Beerens, Global Relief's team leader who is co-ordinating the organisation's efforts to Sri Lanka.
From Indonesia, Global Relief volunteer Bertus Louw, an experienced trauma intervener, said the team had provided trauma support to two boys from the town of Banga, whom they found walking hand in hand.
Saifullah, 13, and Kasri, 17, said last Sunday they survived a violent earthquake that lasted about five minutes. Their houses collapsed, but their entire families escaped. But then people started screaming about waves coming.
"They ran, but the first wave took the two boys into the palm trees. The waves came higher than the palm trees, but they managed to hold on and survive," he said.
Recover bodies
None of the families survived, except Saifullah's sister, according to the boys.
Two of the Global Relief workers had assisted a Singaporean team to help recover bodies in the town of Uleleu, where corpses still litter the streets, while others provided help in Banda Aceh.
Meanwhile Louw stressed that the best way for the public to contribute was financially.
Contributions can be made through the website www.globalrelief.givengain.org, or paid directly into the current account of Global Relief, account number 6206 1322 831, First National Bank, Woodbridge Branch, code 20-56-09 and swift code FIRNZAJJ.
The public can follow the team's progress on-line at www.globalrelief.givengain.org
- SAPA
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