Citi Foundation Supports Humanitarian Response by Save the Children Indonesia for Children and Families Affected by Floods in Sumatra
The Citi Foundation has collaborated with Save the Children Indonesia to provide comprehensive humanitarian assistance to children and families affected by floods in North Sumatra. The support includes establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS), providing and strengthening reading corners, and distributing Back-to-School Kits to support post-disaster recovery efforts. Floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra in November 2025 caused severe damage to homes, schools, and public infrastructure, forcing tens of thousands of families to evacuate.
A total of 4,852 schools were impacted by the disaster in the Sumatra region, making children one of the most vulnerable groups affected due to difficulty accessing education and safe spaces.
“Citi believes that support for safe and adequate learning spaces is crucial in sustaining children’s education. This commitment is reflected in the Citi Foundation’s funding support for post-disaster recovery in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Sri Lanka totalling $200,000 or approximately Rp3.3 billion, which is being channelled by Save the Children. In Indonesia, assistance is focused on helping children and families in the North Sumatra region affected by the disaster so they can recover and rebuild quickly,” said Hario Widyananto, Country Head of Public Affairs at Citi Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Fadli Usman, Humanitarian and Programme Operations Director at Save the Children Indonesia, noted that thousands of affected schools demonstrate the enormous challenges in recovering the education sector and the urgency of ensuring children can quickly return to learning in safe and supportive environments.
“This challenge cannot be faced alone, so collaboration with the Citi Foundation is crucial,” Fadli stated.
He believes that private sector support, including from the Citi Foundation, can accelerate post-disaster recovery processes, particularly in ensuring children’s rights are fulfilled in crisis and emergency situations. Clean water provision remains uneven in several evacuation sites, creating potential health risks for children and families. According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia’s waste generation reached 13.52 million tonnes in 2023. Twenty-nine villages and hamlets on Sumatra island have been reported missing due to the flash floods and landslides. Hundreds of thousands of flood survivors across Sumatra continue to face difficult conditions in makeshift shelters and amid debris scattered by the deluge.