Floods: Philanthropist Kassis-Mohamed mobilises relief materials for devastated communities in Northern Sumatra

*Philanthropist Saad Kassis-Mohamed, Founder and Chairman of the WeCare Foundation, says ‘our first responsibility is to help people survive the next days and weeks with dignity: dry shelter, clean water, basic healthcare and a safe space for children’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Philanthropist Saad Kassis-Mohamed, Founder and Chairman of the WeCare Foundation, has launched an emergency relief initiative for communities devastated by the catastrophic floods and landslides currently affecting Indonesia’s Sumatra island. The rapid-response support focuses on critical needs such as safe shelter, clean water, medical supplies and child focused assistance in the hardest hit districts of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh.

Over the past week, torrential rains linked to Cyclone Senyar and extreme monsoon conditions have triggered deadly flash floods and landslides across northern Sumatra, killing over 300 people, leaving many others missing, and displacing tens of thousands of residents from their homes.

Some emergency relief materials

Entire villages have been inundated or swept away, with roads, bridges and communications infrastructure severely damaged, hampering rescue operations and delivery of aid.

In coordination with local authorities and Indonesian civil-society partners, WeCare’s response will prioritise supplying emergency shelter kits, hygiene and dignity packs, safe water access through mobile treatment units, and support for temporary learning and child friendly spaces so that education can resume as quickly as possible once conditions allow.

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The initiative also includes targeted support for community health posts and small local clinics serving displaced families.

Saad Kassis-Mohamed said: “Seeing entire communities in Sumatra lose everything overnight is a reminder that climate driven disasters are no longer distant headlines, they are lived reality for millions of families.

“Our first responsibility is to help people survive the next days and weeks with dignity: dry shelter, clean water, basic healthcare and a safe space for children. At the same time, we are already listening to local leaders about what they need to rebuild on their own terms.”

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Floods: Philanthropist Kassis-Mohamed Mobilises Relief Materials For Devastated Communities In Northern Sumatra

Initial WeCare teams and local partner organisations are mapping needs in the most affected regencies and prioritising areas that have remained cut off by damaged infrastructure.

With authorities warning that the death toll may continue to rise and that thousands of families could remain displaced for weeks, the organisation is preparing to transition from immediate relief to early recovery, including support for repairing homes, restoring community facilities and helping small family businesses restart their activities.

The Indonesian relief operation builds on WeCare Foundation’s broader humanitarian work supporting crisis-affected communities across Africa, the Middle East and other regions, with programmes that link urgent relief to longer term investments in education, livelihoods and community resilience.

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