I and the rest of the SF Sama-sama crew have been in touch with our friends in (and from the surrounding areas) of Yogyakarta. We've learned that the devestation is much worse than was initially believed. The images here were sent from Mie Cornoedus, who owns the Via Via Cafe in Yogyakarta.
As I wrote in my previous blog, we are raising money to send to the relief efforts in Yogya through sales of our catalogue (and additional donations if people are able to be more generous). The money will go straight to the people who have been affected. Our most pressing need is to assist with our friends from the Via Via Cafe who have lost their homes and their jobs (Via Via was also badly damaged in the quake).Eleven of the workers' homes were completely destroyed and will have to be rebuilt. Each of these homes on average houses a family of seven. The cost to rebuild each home is Rp 30,000,000 which is equal to roughly $3,000 (far far different from the $700,000 average per home in the Bay Area! -- which often just houses 2)
If you would like to contribute to the relief effort by purchasing a catalogue ($30 plus $2.25 for postage) or sending a donation, please send your inforamation and a check to:
Intersection For The Arts
446 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
The catalogue will be sent to you within a week.
We are also planning to have a book launch /fundraising event at Intersection for the Arts within the next several weeks -- I will keep you posted on the exact time and date.
A little more about Mie and the Via Via Cafe:Via Via Cafe is a very special place in Yogya. Via Via and Mie were friends and partners for the Sama-sama project -- hosting an exhibition and providing lots of assistance while the San Francisco artists were there.
Targeted mainly for tourists (the prices are high for locals), Via Via not only serves as a restaurant, it also offers many courses for foreigners to learn about the culture of Yogya, including language courses, traditional healing practices, batik and textile courses, and trips to surrounding villages and sacred sites, such as Borubudor (one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world) and Prambanan (the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia -- badly damaged in the quake). Although the prices are high for locals, the point is that Via Via gives much of its profits back to the community. Via Via pays its employees well and Mie has helped to put several of her workers through college. Via Via also has (or rather had) a gallery space for local artists and was often the site for celebrations.
THANK YOU to the following who have given or committed funds to the earthquake relief:
Lisa Russ
Jacob and Jill Pfeiffer
Jim and Jennifer Turnure
Duc Nguyen
Maw Shin Win
Vanessa Renwick
Ed Gilbert
Mark Brest van Kempen
Peter Carpou
Monica Johnson
Susette S. Min
Barbara Judy
Valerie Wade
Chi-Hui Yang
Brad K. Alder
Tia Factor
Amy Berk
Jennifer Wofford
Dwayne Marsh
