Highlights

• 174,187 people have gained access to safe drinking water across the cluster (82,357 as a direct result of UNICEF work).

• 9,000 UNICEF-procured hygiene kits have been distributed to local NGO partners.

• 1,408,550 children have been vaccinated against measles and rubella with UNICEF technical assistance.

• 21,418 pregnant and lactating women have received counselling on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices and 134 health care and non-health care workers were trained in Infant Feeding in Emergency through UNICEF support.

• 22,000 children received psychosocial support across the cluster at child friendly spaces (11,456 as a direct result of UNICEF work).

• 104,560 children have resumed their education through provision of temporary learning spaces across the cluster (43,371 as a direct result of UNICEF work).

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

On 28 September, a series of strong earthquakes struck Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province. The strongest earthquake (7.4M) triggered a tsunami which struck Palu and Donggala districts, resulting in significant damage and loss of life. Instances of liquefaction and landslides also ocurred. Thousands of families have lost their homes, access to services and sought refuge in safer areas.

An estimated 1.5 million people were affected including 665,000 children. Over 211,000 people are currently living in IDP camps with many more residing in spontaneous and informal settlements. Estimates suggest around 80,000 people from Palu have left the affected areas.

Needs assessments identified clean water, sanitation and hygiene, health and nutrition, recovery of infrastructure and public services, shelter, protection, food, education, logistics and economic recovery as priority needs. Many IDP sites have inadequate shelter, limited access to latrines and water and insufficient lightning, causing protection concerns. Sanitary conditions have significantly deteriorated since the onset of the disaster, with diarrhoea and skin infections on the rise, and increased risk of communicable diseases and malaria.