Families in Yogyakarta, Indonesia are still struggling to regroup and recover from May's 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - An airlift
of urgently needed medical supplies from Counterpart International and
SkyLink Aviation has arrived to help medical teams treating survivors of
the massive earthquake which devastated Indonesia's ancient royal city
of Yogyakarta.
More than US$860,000 worth of antibiotics, oral re-hydration salts and other life-saving drugs made up the airlift organized by Counterpart, a US-based nonprofit humanitarian and development organization, and SkyLink Aviation, a Canadian-based commercial aviation group headed by Walter Arbib.
"SkyLink was the first to land relief supplies for survivors immediately after the quake and we are most thankful for their support in getting this latest airlift into the country because there is still a lot to do," said Lelei LeLaulu, president of Counterpart International, who added, "there is no way we could have done this without Walter Arbib giving us free airlift on SkyLink."
The 6.3-magnitude quake's epicenter hit in the early morning of May 27th, 2006, killing more than 5,000 people and causing serious damage to buildings and homes in the city of three million.
Arbib, president of SkyLink, said private sector companies like his could respond "very quickly to emergencies with the help of nimble non-governmental organizations like Counterpart which can leverage cash for large amounts of medical supplies in a matter of hours."
SkyLink Aviation has become a global leader in rapid deployment of peacekeepers and international humanitarian aid, including food and equipment, during war, major disasters and pandemics. The group has created a strong tie with Counterpart, known for its community-driven style of development, and has shipped millions of dollars worth of assistance to dozens of countries with the international nonprofit just this year.