Aid arrives for earthquake victims
An Operation Blessing staff doctor cleans 80-year-old Harjos infected facial wound.
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By Sarah Pate
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - In the village of Bauran, the air is thick with the smell of cigarettes, chickens, goats and the stench of festering wounds. Days after the 6.3 quake struck Central Java, an Operation Blessing medical convoy arrived to the village of Bauran with ambulance sirens blaring alerting the community of their arrival. Doctors laid straw mats on the ground and within ten minutes the field clinic was up and running.
One by one, the community brought their wounded on mats, by motorcycle or cradled in the arms of family members and neighbors. For most, this was the only medical treatment available.
"I found her bleeding and unconscious, said Parno as he gently laid his neighbor, Harjo, at the feet of an OBI doctor.
Harjo had sustained a head wound that stretched from her temple across her right cheek. She was cooking breakfast Saturday morning when the walls of her kitchen collapsed onto her 80-year-old frame.
The doctor carefully began to trim back her gray hair, now matted into the gauze dressing taped to her face. She had not cleaned the wound or changed the bandages since Saturday.
"It's infected, said the doctor as she carefully used her tweezers to pull the dressing from Harjo's wrinkled and weathered face.
This would be the standard for the day. Many others arrived with scabbed faces, bruised legs and broken limbs wrapped crudely in cardboard splints.
Just beyond the clinic, a team of volunteers unloads bags containing food, water and other emergency aid items and begins to hand them out to members of the community.
Within four days, Operation Blessing volunteers distributed over 11,000 bags containing food, water and other emergency aid items to earthquake survivors.
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Tini, age 30, has three bags in hand one for her, her parents and her brother's family. She smiles with delight as she peers into her bag.
"I'm very happy. We are in a situation where we need help . . . and now someone has come to help, Tini said, her eyes welling up with tears.
Tini's home collapsed from the force of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake. She now lives several feet in front of the rubble of her former home sleeping under a tarp with twenty of her family members.
"This disaster will affect us for a long time. I have to look ahead and prepare for tomorrow and the next day, and the day after, she said.
Operation Blessing Indonesia was recently commissioned by UNICEF to help process, evaluate and approve applications for aid submitted by affected villages, helping to get emergency resources to those who need it fast.
In addition, OBI's German partner Humedica is providing critical support to Operation Blessing medical teams by following up on 400 patients that have been treated and released by the Bethesda Hospital in Yogyakarta. Humedica, along with OBI translators and support staff has been tasked with tracking each patient and helping as required.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Operation Blessing is committed to providing emergency relief for the thousands of victims affected by the devastating earthquake. Many are injured and thousands more homeless. You can take part in bringing medical aid, tarps, blankets and food to those in need by making a secure, online donation. Already, Operation Blessing is reaching nearly 1,000 victims per day, but many more still need our help. Thank you for taking part in OBI's disaster relief efforts your support is invaluable!
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