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On Wednesday, Ankdarini Ratna Swastika was busy calling up friends. “We have to do something about this!” she told them.

Ankdarini, a medical student at the Moestopo University in Jakarta, is a member of Ricma for Indonesia, a youth organization at the Cut Meutia mosque in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Ricma, which stands for Remaja Islam Cut Meutia (Cut Meutia’s Islamic Youth,) has 40 active members who regularly carry out outreach activities to help the less fortunate.

Ankdarini said she felt sad about the natural disasters that are happening in the country and has taken it upon herself to mobilize her friends to do something to help the victims.

“We agreed to establish an aid center at the mosque and have asked people to donate anything they can for those in Mentawai and Merapi,” she said, referring to the tsunami that swept the Mentawai Islands in Sumatra and the Mount Merapi volcanic eruption near Yogyakarta this week.

Ankdarini believes that the public should not just wait for the government to act because their response often takes time. She added that many aid organizations, like Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross) only accept money.

“It’s more efficient for them to transfer the money to the locations and then buy goods,” she said.

“But there are many people who want to help, but don’t have the cash.”

She and her friends are collecting donations like clothes, underwear, diapers, blankets and towels until this Sunday, which they will then hand over to a non-profit organization.

To spread the word about her cause, she is using the micro-blogging Web site Twitter, social networking Web site Facebook and BlackBerry Messenger.

“With technology, we can spread the word quickly,” she said, adding that she was also planning to give out fliers at several locations, including the mosque.

The response has been positive so far. “We’re so excited that we will be able to help those in need,” she said.

Nadya Zein, who works as an art director at an advertising agency, said helping those in need when disasters strike is a typical Indonesian trait.

Television coverage of the events, which are often serious and dramatic, further strengthens the desire to help. So does having a conscience.

“At least, after I give my donation, my feeling of responsibility is cleared,” Nadya said.

“I think most Indonesians react in the same manner. They sympathize with the victims, then they donate,” she said, adding that there has also been more critical discussions recently about the pros and cons of donating.

David Winata, who works in television, chose to donate through the PMI. He agrees with Nadya, saying that people are more critical of the donation process than before.

“There are always the so-called do-gooders, people who update their Facebook and Twitter status with information on where to donate and Hallmark-type inspiring texts, but they themselves do nothing.

Then, there are also those people who lash out against these do-gooders,” he said.

Aside from PMI, which is among well-known non-government organizations, other groups have also mobilized to help in disaster relief.

Students from the London School of Public Relations in Jakarta mobilize themselves through their group, LSPR Care. Last year, they participated in the Padang relief effort for earthquake victims.

They are now planning to fly eight of their members to help out in the Mentawai and Merapi disaster zones.

Bernida Nathania Goin, a counselor for LSPR Care, said her team was in the process of collecting donations from the school’s students and staff. They do not ask for external contributions to fund their organization’s efforts.

“For the Padang effort last year, we raised about Rp 48 million [$5,400], not counting other donations, such as food and clothing,” she said, adding that she is positive that this year will yield equally encouraging results.

Other NGOs, such as the Church World Service, which is based in New York but has a branch in Jakarta, are also taking part in the relief effort.

Michael Koeniger, the Indonesian representative of CWS, said they were sending 140 kits for infants.

As part of the joint assessment of the ACT Indonesia Forum, a coalition of churches, CWS has also sent one staff member to Mentawai on Wednesday.

For the Mount Merapi area, Koeniger said that CWS has partnered up with the Mentawai Christian Protestant Church to monitor the situation there.

The organization will also be working with the Yayasan Kristen Untuk Kesehatan Umum (Christian Foundation for General Health) emergency unit and Yayasan Tanggul Bencana di Indonesia (YTB Foundation) in their relief efforts.

“People in this country are actually very helpful,” said Adiza Ayu, a volunteer at the Greenheart Center based in Cipete, South Jakarta.

As a non-profit organization that focuses on the development of women and children, Greenheart’s efforts revolve around their condition at the shelters.

Based on experience from helping the victims of 2004 tsunami in Aceh, it is the women and children who suffer the most, Adiza said.

“Men can easily get clothes and other things they need, but it’s the women and children who find it very hard to get what they need.”

Greenheart is asking people to donate clothes for women and children, feminine napkins and baby milk, which will be sent on Nov. 6.

“We don’t want to send them now because we’re convinced that donations are piling up at the shelters. The critical period after a disaster is usually two weeks after because donations will start to slow down as news coverage also fades,” she said.

Wendy Haryoso is also a volunteer at the Greenheart Center. He is currently tasked with delivering donations to the victims of Merapi. He will also be providing counseling for the disaster victims.

“After two weeks, these victims will start to wander around. They’ll start to realize that they no longer have houses and have lost pretty much everything they have,” Wendy said.

Using his experience in helping the tsunami victims in Aceh and other areas struck by natural disasters, Wendy said that he and his team would try to boost the victims’ confidence to continue.

“We need to make them realize that although they’ve faced a horrible experience, life must go on. We’ll tell them to stand up and fight for their lives.”

Bali punk band Superman is Dead has worked with an agriculture-oriented NGO, Yayasan IDEP Foundation, to set up a donation post for the disaster victims at Hardy’s parking lot in Sanur.

“The purpose ... is to give a chance to Balinese who want to take part in the relief efforts, but don’t know where to send their money,” said Jerink, the band’s drummer.

The donation post is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.