Oklahoma City Based International Organization Launches Relief Efforts for South Asian Disaster.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- World Neighbors Partners with Local Indonesia Organization to Provide Aid in Sumatra

On the heels of the recent disaster in South Asia and Africa, World Neighbors, an international development agency headquartered in Oklahoma City, has partnered with the IDEP Foundation, a non-profit Indonesian organization located in Bali, to assist with the generation of funds for short-term relief efforts in the Aceh region of Sumatra, Indonesia. Individuals, businesses and organizations interested in helping in this effort are encouraged to donate cash gifts through World Neighbors.

"World Neighbors maintains program areas in both India and Indonesia, where we have an office in Bali. While we are grateful that none of our programs or staff were directly affected following this weekend's earthquake and tsunamis, we feel an overwhelming need to do something positive to benefit those individuals who have lost their homes, families and livelihoods, specifically through the mobilization of funds," said Peter Gubbels, international programs director for World Neighbors.

Based in Bali, Indonesia, where World Neighbors also houses its regional office, the IDEP Foundation was established in 1999 in response to the economic crisis occurring in Indonesia. Since that time, the organization has been instrumental in aiding the country during times of crisis and disaster through the organization of community based crisis response programs and materials.

"For more than 50 years, our mission at World Neighbors has been to work with local organizations to provide self-help resources to the rural poor throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America," Gubbels said. "Our partnership with IDEP is just another opportunity for us to work with a local organization who has the resources, relationships and understanding of the immediate problem to provide specific relief to those directly hit by the tsunamis."

All funding generated by World Neighbors, less direct expenses, will be routed directly to IDEP and their partner agencies in Aceh and will be utilized for emergency support, long-term recovery and strengthening the capacity of local organizations to cope with the disaster. Immediate relief efforts will include shipping water-sealed buckets, or care packages, filled with urgently needed supplies including water purification tablets, bleach, oral rehydration tablets, bandages, betadyne, vitamins, medicine for diarrhea, cold and cough, antibiotic creams, linens, mosquito nets, candles, lighters, torches, non-perishable foods, rice, instant noodles, cooking utensils and other items.

The care packages, estimated to cost $25 each, will be distributed to people in need within the Aceh region. IDEP is encouraging local residents of Bali to purchase the care package items and deposit in specific pick-up locations, which will then be shipped to Aceh. Donations generated through World Neighbors will also be used to fund the cost of renting trucks, estimated at $700 per round trip, to deliver the care packages and other supplies from Medan to Aceh, usually a two to three day trip.

"We feel confident about our positive partnership with IDEP and the opportunity it provides Oklahomans to offer their own financial support to the disaster relief efforts in Indonesia," Gubbels said.

To make a donation, individuals may call World Neighbors at 405-752-9700 or 1-800-242-6387 or visit their Website at www.wn.org.

World Neighbors (www.wn.org), founded more than 50 years ago, is a grassroots development organization working in partnership with the rural poor in hundreds of villages throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. By strengthening the capacity of individuals and communities, World Neighbors' "hand-up, not a handout" programs empower people to solve their own problems related to hunger, disease and poverty. World Neighbors is approved as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.