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from World Vision Australia
Escalating violence in East Timor has forced aid agency World Vision to halt its distribution of food and emergency relief supplies in Dili and other centers and withdraw most of its staff.
World Vision Australia's manager of relief operations, Dan Kelly, expressed his dismay at the violence and called for an immediate restoration of security so relief efforts can resume. “There are now many thousands of people in desperate need of food and shelter,” Mr. Kelly said. “We are ready to send in the provisions and the relief personnel as soon as it is safe to do so.”
This follows the almost total closure of the aid operations of non-government organizations (NGOs) earlier this week when violence erupted on the island in the wake of the overwhelming vote by East Timorese for independence from Indonesia.
Most international staff employed by NGOs, media organizations and the United Nations were withdrawn earlier this week due to safety concerns. World Vision's relief advisor, Al Dwyer, has remained in Dili to monitor the situation and maintain communications with the aid community watching the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
In response to the worsening situation World Vision Australia has launched an emergency appeal for both cash and mass quantities of donated goods. “We have a stockpile of rice, canned fish and cooking utensils in Dili, further supplies in Kupang (West Timor) ready to go, and a shipment of rice on the sea headed now for Dili,” Mr. Kelly said. “But we are quite concerned that the need will be greater than our present supplies can meet.”
World Vision Australia has had a long and effective involvement in both development programs and emergency relief operations in many parts of Indonesia. Projects funded by Australia are ongoing in Jakarta, Sumba, Rote, Sulawesi, Alor and West Timor.
The International World Vision partnership has operated a development program in East Timor, based in Aileu, for some years. This Area Development Program, which assists a community with 1400 children, was temporarily suspended earlier this year following an assessment of the risks to personnel. Some staff were relocated to Kupang in West Timor and the manager moved to Dili. This program will resume as soon as security permits.
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