Blontank Poer and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Klaten, Bantul
The group of women sat crosslegged on the floor, each doing their part in bundling up meals for survivors of the earthquake.
With the authorities still working to smooth out logistical problems in reaching devastated communities dotting Yogyakarta and Central Java, neighbors have taken the initiative to help out the less fortunate by feeding them.
Their contribution is especially important in the coastal villages of Bantul, a desperately poor regency even before it bore the brunt of Saturday's quake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale.
""We have provided meals from yesterday. We prepared between 500 and 1,000 packs of rice with vegetables and distributed them to nearby Pundong,"" Sartini of Sanden district said of her neighborhood public kitchen.
It's a collective effort: Neighbors have donated rice, vegetables and coconuts, as well as cash to buy spices.
""If we rely on the government, we don't know when the aid would be disbursed while survivors are hungry,"" Sartini said.
For the time being, the kitchen will continue to ensure the homeless get at least one home cooked meal a day. ""If the stocks are adequate, we will continue cooking, if not we don't know,"" she added.
A kitchen also has been set up at a housing complex at Tamantirto in Kasihan district, Bantul.
On Monday, government assistance was distributed through district offices to major coordination posts before it was to be handed out to survivors with the help of village officers.
As of Tuesday, however, many residents were still waiting.
""We're confused about which institution is in charge. Asking the village officers (for clarification) was useless,"" said resident Purwanto.
""The assistance was only enough for the needs of 20 percent of survivors,"" Miksan, the head of Pangggang district, said, adding there were up to 10,000 displaced people there.
Some residents have taken to snatching supplies from passing vehicles.
As well as residents' concerns about drinking brackish water, parents must try to comfort their traumatized children, exposed to the elements in tents and suffering from mosquito bites.
Trauma counseling, if it ever comes, is still a long way off for residents of what used to be Teluk hamlet, an isolated spot with only one narrow bridge for motorcycles and bicycles linking it to the outside world.
A medical team from Semarang is doing what it can to help about 300 survivors, most of whom complain of headaches brought on by stress.
""I was given a lot of medicine. The doctor told me to save it in case I get sick again,"" 70-year-old Mrs. Harjo said.
Villagers are outraged that some public servants have put their own interests before that of the community.
Mrs. Harjo and Suwarti said the village chief quickly left town after the quake. ""We met him eating noodles in the city when we were confused about how to get home from the hospital,"" Suwarti said. -- With additional reporting by Suherdjoko in Bantul.
