JAKARTA: More than 150,000 survivors of the deadly earthquake in eastern Indonesia will receive assistance from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, as aid workers distribute more food parcels to communities in the affected areas this week. 

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck off the coast of Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara in mid-August killed at least 156 people, injured more than 1,600 others, and damaged over 119,000 homes across 10 regencies and cities. 

Almost three months since the quake, some 28,000 people remain displaced and are living in makeshift shelters, as their homes were destroyed during the disaster. 

KSrelief is working with BAZNAS, a government agency responsible for zakat and other Islamic social funds in Indonesia, to start delivering a batch of 15,000 food parcels this week to survivors in seven provinces: East Manggarai, Manggarai, West Manggarai, Nagekeo, Ngada, Ende and Sikka. 

“We hope this aid will help alleviate the burden faced by the survivors, help fulfill their food and hygiene needs, while supporting their overall recovery,” BAZNAS Secretary-General Subhan Cholid told Arab News on Wednesday. 

“We believe that post-disaster recovery is not merely about rebuilding infrastructure; it is also about ensuring that people can return to living a decent and dignified life.” 

This week’s aid deliveries follow similar assistance comprising 15,000 food parcels and another 15,000 individual health kits, which volunteers began distributing earlier this month. 

According to BAZNAS, the entire assistance will benefit more than 150,000 people. 

“We deeply appreciate and are extremely grateful to KSrelief for the trust and humanitarian support that they have consistently extended to the people of Indonesia, particularly to the earthquake survivors in the province of East Nusa Tenggara,” Cholid said. 

“For us, the continuity of this partnership reflects a profound level of trust and humanitarian solidarity — all the more significant given that the disaster-affected communities in NTT are still in the recovery phase. Many remain in evacuation shelters, requiring ongoing support to meet their basic daily needs.” 

KSrelief partnered with BAZNAS in 2022 to support Indonesians in need with food aid and has been regularly distributing such assistance across various districts and cities in the country, including during Ramadan.

BAZNAS is also hoping to get more earthquake recovery support from KSrelief in other sectors, as the agency seeks to strengthen health facilities with more medics, build solar-powered borewells, and construct earthquake-resistant housing for survivors, located away from disaster-prone areas. 

It was discussed during a meeting in Jakarta, with the KSrelief delegation led by the agency’s project manager, Abdulkarim Al-Yousef. 

“We express our deepest appreciation for the commitment of KSrelief to provide aid to affected communities — from East Nusa Tenggara, Sumatra to every corner of Indonesia,” Subhan said. “We are thankful for all the efforts and the extraordinary dedication.”