The severe floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra have caused a significant humanitarian crisis. As of 3 December 2025, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported 836 fatalities and 1.2 million people have been displaced. Beyond the loss of lives, thousands of families including children, women, and persons with disabilities are now living in emergency shelters with extremely limited access to basic services.
In response, Plan Indonesia deployed Emergency Response Teams (ERT) to Aceh and West Sumatra to conduct rapid assessments, provide psychosocial support, and distribute non-food items such as shelter kits, hygiene kits (including menstrual hygiene supplies), blankets, and sleeping mats. The Rapid Need Assessment (RNA) focuses on three critical sectors, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH); Protection; and Education, while also identifying the specific needs of children to ensure safety and recovery during the emergency.
Ida Ngurah, Program Director of Plan Indonesia, emphasized that survivors especially children, adolescent girls, and other vulnerable groups continue to face significant challenges in meeting their basic needs. Although humanitarian aid is arriving, many families still struggle to access assistance due to various constraints.
Initial RNA findings in Pidie Jaya District, Aceh, and Agam District, West Sumatra, reveal that residents in Pidie Jaya continue to face shortages of clean water and personal hygiene kits, including menstrual supplies. Meanwhile, displaced families in Agam urgently need shelter materials such as blankets for their temporary living conditions.
Ngurah added that other urgent needs include clean water, adequate sanitation facilities, and personal hygiene supplies such as sanitary pads, blankets, and tarpaulins.
Children and Women Face Heightened Vulnerability During Disasters
The situation highlights the critical need to prioritize protection services for vulnerable groups particularly children, women, pregnant mothers, and persons with disabilities in all humanitarian response efforts.
“Plan Indonesia reiterates that the rights of children and women must be at the center of every disaster response. Without gender-responsive and inclusive approaches, disasters not only cause immediate harm but also worsen inequality and create long-term social consequences for young people,” Ngurah stated.
Beyond urgent logistical needs, there are deeper layers of vulnerability often overlooked during emergencies. Disrupted access to education puts children especially girls at higher risk of dropping out of school and losing future opportunities.
Limited safe spaces and lighting in evacuation centers also increase the risk of gender-based violence and exploitation. For families who have lost their livelihoods, economic pressure may drive harmful coping strategies, including child marriage a long-term consequence that severely impacts the futures of girls.
Additionally, women and girls continue to face barriers in accessing proper sanitation and reproductive health services, leaving them exposed to illness, infection, and unintended pregnancies. At the same time, their voices are often excluded from planning and decision-making processes, resulting in response efforts that fail to reflect their specific gender and age-related needs.
Supporting Survivors of the Sumatra Disaster
As part of its initial emergency response, Plan Indonesia has distributed 23 tons of Non-Food Items (NFI) to the affected regions. The supplies include hygiene kits (with menstrual hygiene products), shelter kits, and sleeping mats—items critically needed by displaced families who are currently living with minimal resources.
To support continued recovery efforts, Plan Indonesia invites the public to contribute to the humanitarian response through bit.ly/bantusumatra. Every donation plays an important role in ensuring that children and women receive the protection, dignity, and fulfillment of rights they deserve during this crisis.
About Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia)
Since 1969, Plan International has operated in Indonesia; in 2017, it changed its name to the Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia). We seek to advance girls' equality and realize children's rights. We also work with young people to enable meaningful engagement in life decisions. Plan Indonesia, a subsidiary of Plan International Inc., runs a major child sponsorship program. In East Nusa Tenggara, Plan Indonesia has fostered 32,000 boys and girls with five pledges to uphold their fundamental rights: the right to birth certificates, essential vaccinations, clean water, sanitation, and cleanliness, as well as education. Plan Indonesia operates in eight provinces through programs with the main goal to build a Healthy, Educated, Empowered, Safe and Resilient Generation. These initiatives seek to strengthen the ability of social movements to engage and focus on 3 million girls to have equal representation, equal power, and equal freedom.
For further details: planindonesia.org
Media Contact
Hesti Widianingtyas – External Communication Coordinator
Hesti.widianingtyas@plan-international.org – (+62)812 9021 0072