On another occasion, the LIFE team assembled a medical convoy consisting of 1 ambulance, 3 doctors, 3 paramedics, 3 pharmacists, and 6 volunteers to deliver first aid and medicine to survivors living in remote villages.
The convoy made its way deep into the province of Nagari and set up its staging ground in the village of Solok. Word quickly spread throughout Solok and the surrounding villages that help had arrived for the sick and injured.
Villagers were very appreciative of the assistance provided by the convoy, especially given the fact that the LIFE team was the first to reach these remote areas since the earthquake struck. Neither the government nor non-governmental organizations had reached there yet.
Also, LIFE provided a grant to the Padang office of the Indonesian Red Crescent Society in order to purchase three truckloads of medicine, which were to be distributed among hundreds of villagers living in remote areas of western Sumatra.
Lastly, the LIFE team came to the aid of a school in Padang that was paralyzed by the effects of the earthquake and the loss of all its supplies and educational materials. To help the school reopen its doors, LIFE purchased enough supplies and materials to cover the needs of all 670 students attending the school.
LIFE responded in a similar fashion in 2004 when a tsunami struck Indonesia and surrounding countries, taking the lives of over half a million people. Back then, LIFE provided emergency relief supplies to survivors in cooperation with local Indonesian non-governmental organizations. |
