Citi Foundation and Save the Children collaborate to assist flood victims in North Sumatra

Citi Foundation has partnered with Save the Children Indonesia to provide comprehensive humanitarian response to children and families affected by flooding in North Sumatra.

“This support includes establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS), providing and strengthening reading corners, as well as distributing Back-to-School Kits to assist the post-disaster recovery process,” said Hario Widyananto, Country Head of Public Affairs at Citi Indonesia, in an official statement on Wednesday.

The recent floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra caused extensive damage to homes, schools, and public infrastructure, forcing tens of thousands of families to evacuate.

According to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), 4,852 schools were affected by the disaster in the Sumatra region, making children one of the most vulnerable groups impacted by difficulties in accessing education and safe spaces.

This prompted Citi Foundation’s commitment to support post-disaster recovery through funding totalling USD 200,000 (approximately Rp3.3 billion) distributed across Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Sri Lanka via Save the Children.

“In Indonesia, assistance is focused on helping children and families in the affected North Sumatra region to recover and rebuild. The thousands of damaged schools demonstrate the magnitude of the educational sector’s recovery challenges and the urgency of ensuring children can soon resume learning in safe and supportive environments,” Widyananto added.

According to Fadli Usman, Humanitarian and Program Operations Director of Save the Children Indonesia, the challenge of educational recovery cannot be addressed alone, making collaboration with Citi Foundation critically important.