Franciscan Bishop Aloysius Murwito led a joint rally and raised $1,097 for the Feb. 9 earthquake victims
Victims of the earthquake in Jayapura spend time in a shelter house belonging to the Jayapura Diocese. (Photo: supplied)
Catholics in Indonesia’s Papua province are collecting funds for those affected by the Feb. 9 earthquake in the capital Jayapura that left four people dead and more than 3,000 displaced.
In Agats-Asmat Diocese in South Papua, Franciscan Bishop Aloysius Murwito led a joint rally and a prayer meeting for the victims on Feb. 12 evening at the Yos Sudarso open field in the district capital of Asmat.
Bishop Murwito invited people to pray for the victims and show solidarity by providing assistance. The event raised a total of 16,720,000 rupiah (US$1,097).
Maria Yesti Nurak, who leads the Catholic Youth Community at Imanuel Parish in Sanggeng, Manokwari, West Papua province, said the community raised 6,800,000 rupiah (US$446) in cash by busking at the traffic lights after the Sunday Mass.
"This event was motivated by our concern for the victims, and also for the damaged churches," she said.
Father Fredy Rante Taruk, executive director of Caritas Indonesia, told UCA News that the pontifical charity is yet to conduct an official fundraising campaign "but if anyone wants to donate, we are ready to distribute it."
In a statement, the National Disaster Management Agency said the victims are in dire need of electric generators, tents, mattresses, blankets, and mats.
The earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 rocked residential areas in the eastern province of Papua, followed by a series of aftershocks, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
The Jayapura city government said 3,550 residents were displaced in 15 locations and more than 40 houses, office buildings, as well as two churches, including Jayapura Cathedral Church, and a mosque, were destroyed.
Korneles Siep, a church lay activist in Jayapura, said he helped around 200 residents to relocate to a housing complex run by the Jayapura Diocese.
“What is needed now is food and drink. We can't say for sure when this [misery] will end, because it's still raining every day,” he told UCA News on Feb. 13.
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