Mount Merapi lies some 500 km (310 miles) south-east of Jakarta on Indonesia's most heavily populated island, Java. The families are now staying in camps in Yogyakarta town as their villages were swept by volcanic hot air. Two of the SOS Children Centres are also affected directly by the eruption.
These centres came into being in the aftermath of the 2006 earthquake in the region and became very popular within the community. Volunteers from the community are running the centres with the help of SOS youths and co-workers of the SOS family strengthening programme. The affected centres are
"Mutiara Abadi" at Umbulharjo Village (Cangkringan, Sleman, only 3.8 kms from the peak) and "Aditya Yodha" at Turi Village, Sleman.
The volunteers of SOS Children’s Village Lembang - some of them are also so-called Tagana members (Disaster Response Youths) - are now busy with helping in the evacuation and supporting people in need.