GEC NEWS WIREOoredoo and Indosat rapidly mobilise to provide medical, food and recovery assistance to Indonesian Flood Relief Efforts
Ooredoo and its Indonesian operating company Indosat have this week both pledged emergency aid in support of disaster relief efforts to help Indonesian communities and people most affected by recent flooding. Recognising the importance of communicating freely during a crisis, Indosat was the first provider to offer free access to its services for those affected by the floods.
Following another unusually heavy rainy season, Manado in the country’s North Sulawesi region has been most impacted with other areas seriously affected by the floods including Jakarta, Bekasi and Subang. The total population affected by the floods is estimated to be 90,000 with this number expected to grow over coming weeks. In Manado, currently worst affected by the seasonal flooding, the floods have created 50,000 refugees and damaged 1,000 houses in the area. Sadly, 19 people have also lost their life in the floods.
Ooredoo and Indosat provided immediate assistance and emergency aid to those affected by the flooding, becoming the first mobile operator to offer free access to mobile services, including data, SMS and voice. To deliver relief on the ground they are working with local partners, including Tribun Manado, to offer basic food relief, clean water and dry clothes to those affected.
Together, Ooredoo and Indosat will also provide support to humanitarian agencies including Red Cross Indonesia (PMI), PKPU and ACT in their disaster relief and recovery efforts across the affected North Sulawesi area. With this assistance these agencies will be able to provide food stuffs, medical services, clothes and trauma therapy.
In Jakarta, Ooredoo and Indosat have re-mobilised its Mobil Klinik Ceria which, similar to the emergency services provided during the 2013 Jakarta flooding, offers much-needed assistance through the provision of free medical services and food distribution.
Ooredoo Chairman H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani said: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and during this challenging time for Indonesia we are pleased to have been able to work alongside Indosat to provide immediate assistance and emergency aid to those communities affected by these devastating floods. We hope that our efforts will bring some relief to those affected and that by ensuring our services remain operational people are able to rely on Indosat to maintain vital communications as recovery work commences.”
Ooredoo and Indonesia each place absolute importance on supporting communities and people across all of the markets in which they operate. Both have longstanding commitments to empower underserved communities and enrich the lives of all those that our services reach.Regarding previous emergency aid responses, in 2013 Ooredoo and Indosat provided US$200,000 support to help flood victims in Indonesia and in 2012 Ooredoo aided Indonesian victims of the volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi, which forced the evacuation of 350,000 people.
