Tsunami, quake victims get help from Greece

Tsunami, quake victims get help from Greece

The Jakarta Post, Medan

The Greek government donated on Sunday nine million euros
(US$10.8 million) for tsunami and earthquake victims in Aceh and
Nias island, North Sumatra.

The donation was distributed by Solidarity, a Greek non-
governmental organization that provides humanitarian and
development aid worldwide. The donation came in the form of food
aid worth eight million euros and another one million euros to
assist in the reconstruction phase in Aceh and Nias.

The group's program coordinator, Father Ignatios Giapit
Zioglov, said the food aid was handed over to the Indonesian Red
Cross in North Sumatra. Four million euros worth of food aid was
presented three months ago, while an additional four million
euros of the aid was delivered on Sunday.

"The relief aid is donated by the Greek people. It was raised
to assist disaster victims in Indonesia. We think of the
Indonesian people who suffered in these disasters as our brothers
who are in need of our assistance," Father Ignatios told The
Jakarta Post after handing over the relief aid to the Indonesian
Red Cross.

He said that apart from delivering food aid, Solidarity had
also provided another one million euros to assist in the
reconstruction of facilities destroyed when a tsunami struck Aceh
in December and an earthquake hit Nias in March.

The assistance, he said, would mainly be used to build
schools, hospitals and houses for the survivors.

The chairman for the Indonesian Red Cross in North Sumatra,
Kasim Siyo, said most of the relief aid already had been
distributed to tsunami victims in Aceh.

"Most of the relief aid that we received (three months ago)
has been channeled to Aceh and we will distribute this second
donation to Aceh and Nias," he said.