IOM's emergency response to the earthquake that struck West Java in
Indonesia on 2 September has received a €696,461 contribution
from the Humanitarian Aid department of the European Commission
(ECHO).

IOM will use the funding to provide transitional shelters and
psychosocial support to disaster-affected communities in West Java
where the earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter scale.

More than 190,000 people were displaced and 66,000 homes
severely damaged, according to Indonesian government damage
assessments.

An IOM needs assessment conducted in the area after the
immediate emergency response phase identified transitional shelter
and psycho-social support as priorities in returning affected
communities to normality.

The European Commission funding will help at least 1,200
households (about 6,000 people) with transitional shelters. Locally
harvested mature bamboo will be used to ensure the sustainable
provision of materials for these shelters, respecting environment
conservation practices and supporting the local economy. IOM will
also train those receiving assistance in safe and affordable
earthquake-resistant rebuilding techniques.

IOM is also coordinating with prominent West Java
non-governmental organization IBU Foundation to continue
household-based damage needs assessment and verification in the
most affected areas of Garut district.

The transitional shelter programme builds upon IOM expertise on
the issue in Indonesia where in the aftermath of the 2006
earthquake in Yogyakarta and Central Java, it constructed 15,000
transitional shelters for displaced people.

This new EC funding will also provide psycho-social training
support for 300 health workers, teachers and community leaders
– of which 50 per cent will be women. In addition, technical
assistance will be given to the Ministry of Health and other local
health authorities in collaboration with the University of
Indonesia through the design and implementation of a rapid
psycho-social assessment as well as the course for health workers,
teachers and community leaders.

For more information, please contact:

Jihan Labetubun

Tel: +62.8111907028

E-mail: "mailto:jlabetubun@iom.int">jlabetubun@iom.int