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Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund is proud to advise that their Volunteer Team 1, sent to Aceh, Indonesia soon after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, has been honoured with the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal.
The twelve member team included translators, a Doctor, an electrician, shipping expert, logistics advisors, Police Officer and youth workers. Together they formed a close partnership that was able, in extreme circumstances, to establish the Children's Care Centre in Banda Aceh, providing shelter, food and water and other support to children orphaned by the tsunami. The Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal was established in 1999 by the Australian Government as part of the Australian honours and awards system. The medal honours members of recognised Australian groups which render humanitarian service overseas in hazardous circumstances, such as war zones or in times of natural disaster. We congratulate this special group of people; without whose work the Centre would not have been established. With everyone housed in tents and on borrowed Telcom land, the Centre has now moved to land purchased with Australian donations, and building of a permanent Centre is about to begin. The children currently reside in semi-permanent huts which are clean and comfortable, but are very excited about the prospect of moving to cottage style accomodation, providing more of a family type atmosphere. |
