Emergency Relief Aid in Palu, Indonesia

In the morning of December 25, 2018, JTS President Gena Park came back from an emergency relief aid trip in Palu, Indonesia wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt. It’s winter in Korea, but it’s still very hot in Indonesia. Two months ago, there was a 7.5 magnitude earthquake which hit Palu and Donggala in Central Sulawesi Province. A series of tsunamis that occurred following the earthquake resulted in 2,200 deaths and 70,000 refugees. It is estimated that 19,000 people are in need of emergency relief aid, and there are a countless number who have gone missing.

On December 22 and 23, 2018, JTS Korea worked with the local NGO, Yayasan Mutira Sis Aldjufri Palu, to provide relief aid to the residents and children of 30 villages that were affected by the earthquake. Together, they delivered aid packages consisting of a tent, a blanket, 25kg of rice, a 16-piece set of cooking ware, and t-shirts. JTS experienced many difficulties in delivering the relief aid supplies due to skyrocketing prices and damaged roads. Supplies that could not be transported by land were delivered by boat from a nearby island.

When the earthquake hit, the ground shook and split apart, walls crumbled, and neighbors disappeared. JTS relief aid workers at the site designed t-shirts containing a message of encouragement after observing the hopeless expressions of the earthquake victims. The message reads “PALU KUAT” and “PALU BANGKIT”, which mean “Hang in there Palu” and “Rise up Palu” in Indonesian.

About 50 local residents participated as volunteers in the distribution of the relief aid supplies. Village residents who received the supplies looked as happy as if they had received early Christmas gifts. The bright smiles of the people give JTS members the greatest sense of fulfillment.

[Donations for Emergency Relief Aid in Indonesia]

Contact: 1-301-655-9150/ E-mail: jtsamerica@jtsint.org
Donation Methods: https://jtsamerica.org/donation/
[Check/Money Order] Make checks payable to JTS America
Send it to 4361 Aitcheson Rd, Beltsville, MD 20705