On August 15, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Flores, Indonesia, leaving thousands of families facing damaged homes, disrupted livelihoods and deep uncertainty about what would come next. More than a month later, aftershocks are still being felt across the region, and many people remain hesitant to return home or resume their daily lives. 

As the immediate emergency response gradually moves towards recovery, the Good Shepherd sisters and their local partners continue to accompany affected families. Through the Weta Gerak Good Shepherd Social Ministry Team in Ruteng, the sisters are visiting communities, listening to families and identifying needs that can easily remain overlooked once the most visible damage has been addressed. 

During a visit to an evacuation post in Manggarai Regency, the team spent time with children who survived the earthquake, offering psychosocial support through game and animation. The activities gave children an opportunity to reconnect with one another and experience a moment of normality, while allowing the team to better understand the conditions which families were living. 

The visit raised particular concern about the hygiene conditions faced by women and girls at the site. With limited access to toilets and clean water, they have to rely on neighbouring homes for washing. For girls and women managing their menstrual hygiene, these circumstances create additional difficulties. As one girl shared, she could only change her sanitary pad because there was not enough water to wash herself. For the Good Shepherd team, this experience highlighted the importance of looking beyond the immediate distribution of relief items and ensuring that women and girls have access to water, sanitation, privacy and safe spaces where their dignity can be protected. 

The team is also paying attention to migrant children in Ruteng as schools begin to reopen. Many students live away from their parents or guardians while attending school, and some of the boarding houses where they live were damaged by the earthquake. While some children cannot return because of the damage, others remain afraid to do so. The sisters and their partners are closely monitoring their situation to better understand the challenges they face to ensure that their safety and protection remain part of the recovery response. 

Among the victims of the earthquake is also the fishing community in Borong. Although they are located away from the epicentre, the experience of the earthquake and its effect on the sea have left some fisherman afraid to return to work. For families who depend on fishing, this uncertainty has immediate consequences, affecting their ability to meet every day needs and support their children’s education.   

These experiences are shaping the way how the Good Shepherd respond, as communities are on their way to recovery. Through field visits, psychosocial support, needs assessments and monitoring of children and families, the sisters and their partners are continuing to listen to what people are experiencing and to identify where further support is needed. 

In Flores, recovery will take time, and it will involve much more than repairing damaged homes and infrastructure. It will also mean, restoring children’s sense of safety while allowing them to enjoy their childhood, protecting those who faced increased vulnerability, ensuring that women and girls can meet their basic needs with dignity, supporting families as they restart again. 

As families face the difficult days ahead, together with the sisters and their local partners, we continue to accompany them towards a safer and a more hopeful future.