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| Burning clouds of ash rise from Indonesia's Mt. Merapi Volcano, near the SOS Children's Center at Mutiara Abadi. |
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November 2, 2010: SOS Children's Villages reports with sadness the death of Slamet, the volunteer coordinator of the SOS family strengthening program in central Java near Mount Merapi, which began erupting on October 26.
Slamet, who like many Javanese, used only one name, was also a member of an SOS disaster response group. His body, found with three others, was discovered near the SOS Children’s Center at Mutiara Abadi in a restricted area open only to rescue teams. Slamet appears to have been killed by burning clouds of ash that now cover the landscape.
“We lost a real fighter who always stood for needy people,” said Tatang Kurnia, another SOS family strengthening program coordinator.
SOS Distributing Face Masks and Baby Food to Volcano Refugees
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| Map of SOS Children's Villages in Indonesia |
As an organization that raises vulnerable children and helps at-risk families in countries prone to natural and manmade disasters, SOS relies on people like Slamet to help during crises. Some 50,000 people in central Java are now living in temporary shelters to escape unsafe homes and toxic volcanic ash. SOS is focusing on caring for the children and families who attend its programs. They are at great risk for respiratory illnesses.
Children are suffering the most because the face masks currently available to protect from volcanic ash come in adult sizes only. Moreover, a shortage of baby food means the smallest children may not be getting the nutrition they need. Most families are receiving food from public kitchens.
SOS Children's Villages is directing its efforts on procuring and distributing appropriate masks and nutritious packaged food and milk for the children under its care. SOS staff are setting up a temporary storage center for these items near the town of Yogyakarta.
History of Helping Indonesia’s Children During Disaster
More than 600 children who usually attend eight SOS Children's Centers in the area affected by the volcanic eruption are now sheltering at SOS camps, most of them together with their parents. At the moment 435 children are being cared for at the Umbulharjo Cangkringan camp and another 186 children at the Turi Sleman camp.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts and help with evacuation continue. Mount Merapi, which means Mountain of Fire, has erupted multiple times since October 26. According to volcanologist Surono, as quoted in The Bali Times, eruptions could go on for weeks, “as not all the [volcano’s] energy has been released.”
Of the eight SOS Children’s Villages in Indonesia, two are located on the island of Java, home to Mount Merapi. SOS established a presence in the central Java town of Yogyakarta in 2006 when a strong earthquake hit the area. At that time the SOS youth facility at Timoho provided emergency relief for quake victims. The current SOS family strengthening program, which volcano victim Slamet helped coordinate, dates to that earlier SOS emergency effort.