Indonesia has recently suffered a devastating social and ecological disaster. People in three provinces in Sumatera in Indonesia are suffering following widespread flooding and landslides since 24 November 2025. According to government data (BNPB) on 8 December, 921 people have died, 5,000 people are injured, 392 people are missing and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.

People are still living in an emergency. Water and mud have not receded yet. Homes and crops have been destroyed. Roads are cut off and bridges destroyed, isolating thousands of people. Aid has been unevenly distributed, especially in remote areas. There are shortages of food, water and petrol, leading to some looting. Electricity and internet networks have been cut off, complicating communication and mapping of evacuees.

Women, children and marginalised groups are particularly vulnerable and require targeted support. Evacuation facilities have limited sanitation facilities, clean water or basic needs like sanitary hygiene products, nappies and baby formula. These groups are more at risk of violence during disasters.

My name is Rebecca McLaren and I work for a development program in Indonesia which supports women and marginalised groups. Some CSOs that my program works with have formed the Coalition of Women's Institutions and Vulnerable Groups Affected by the Sumatra Floods (Koalisi Lembaga Perempuan dan Kelompok Rentan Terdampak Banjir Sumatera). This coalition consists of experienced local reputable organisations with a long history of supporting women and children. They are based in the affected regions and so have close access to affected communities. These organisations include:

• Flower Aceh – located in Aceh

• Pesada-Sumut – located in North Sumatra

• Lembaga Pengkajian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (LP2M) – located in West Sumatra

These three organisations are currently working in 31 villages affected by the flooding. They are calling for donations to help them respond to the specific needs of women, children, the elderly and disabled who are victims of this flooding.

I am collecting donations on behalf of these organisations, to make it easier for those outside Indonesia to donate. Once collected, I will divide the funds equally between these three organisations and directly transfer to them.

These organisations are mapping the needs of families affected by the flooding in the villages where they work, with particular attention to the needs of women, children and other vulnerable groups. They will use these donations to provide these families with support for basic needs (ie food, water, medical supplies, sanitation products, phone and internet packets), household needs (ie kitchen supplies, clothes etc) and provide safe spaces for women and their families for protection from violence. Your donations will also help these CSOs pay for generators and IT access to enable communications in the field.

Any donation you can provide will make a difference to help these vulnerable groups recover from this devastating disaster.