HKI continues to assist with the Tsunami
Relief efforts in Aceh and North Sumatra. HKI is distributing vitamin A,
iodized oil and dispersible zinc tablets to children under five years of
age through an initiative called Supplementation with Micronutrients (SUM).
Micronutrients such as vitamin A, iodine and zinc constitute one of the
most cost-effective ways to save lives and prevent disease in disaster
situations. Children particularly are vulnerable to death and disease in
the aftermath of disasters such as the tsunami. In addition to providing
micronutrients to children, HKI is distributing a monthly supply of multivitamins
suitable for cooking or non-cooking conditions to enhance health.
HKI also conducted a Rapid Emergency
Assessment and Prioritization (REAP) to help coordinate relief efforts.
HKI determined the conditions and coverage of basic assistance and recovery
and collect data about diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and nutrition to complement
the distribution of micronutrients through SUM. The information that HKI
gathers was shared with all groups involved in the relief and rebuilding
efforts to assist in their collaboration.
As part of REAP, HKI also identified early signs of xerophthalmia among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and of blind and visually impaired children in IDP camps and among "hidden" IDPs, or those living in the broader community with families or outside the official IDP camps. HKI continues to provide eyeglasses to those who need them.