Humanitarian and Charity Group [KBKK]

Padang, Indonesia 1 – CTF Indonesia and SOS DRS in Mission

Posted on December 25, 2009. Filed under: 2009-10-Earthquake (Padang, In), All Posts, CTF Indonesia, CTF Network, CTF-USA (SOS DRS), English, Humanitarian and Charity Group [KBKK], Relief Network Collaborators |

CTF Indonesia in collaboration with SOS DRS and two Indonesian organizations – Humanitarian and Charity Group [KBKK] and Franciscan Justice and Peace [JPIC] will provide medical, pastoral and humanitarian assistance in West Pasaman, Padang, Indonesia from December 27-January 6, 2010 [see map of Indonesia]. Padang is midway up the Island of Sumatra on the west coast [see map] This area was struck by a terrible earthquake at the end of September  2009 – earthquake in Padang (see pictures).

Members of the team include Fr. Christo, OFM; Dr. Lukas Jusuf; Dr. Irene Setiadi; Theresia Sinaga; Fr. Scott Binet MD, MI and numerous volunteers. The team will be working together with the local medical establishment and with the Franciscans who have been at the site doing rehabilitation and constructing houses since the earthquake. This is KBKK’s 3^rd mission to the region. During the first one immediately after the earthquake they opened a food kitchen and fed thousands of people over several weeks. During the second mission they provided trauma healing services and established a network to continue this in the community in their absence.

The CTF has together with collaborators responded to 6 disasters in Indonesia: Earthquake 2004 [Nabire]; Tsunami 2005 [Banda Aceh], Earthquake 2005 [Nias]; Earthquake 2006 [Yogyakarta]; Landslide 2007 [Kupang], Earthquake 2008 [Bengkulu]. It was in the wake of the Tsunami in 2004 that I first met Dr. Irene Setiadi and collaborated with her organization – KBKK. We kept in touch over the years and then at the time of the earthquake in Padang started communicating about a collaborative mission to the earthquake affected area. The hope of CTF Indonesia and SOS DRS has been to collaborate with others in Indonesia to spread the Gospel through concrete acts of charity – ubi caritas, Desu ibi est.

Theresia and I are now north of Padang in Banda Aceh at the tip of the Island of Sumatra [see map] . We will head to Padang on the morning of the 27th. Please keep us, the mission and those people affected by the earthquake in your prayers.

Fr. Scott

To financially support this relief effort, click here