Winnie the Pooh brings laughter to Indonesian quake kids

Shrieking with delight, Indonesian kids in disaster-struck Palu rush to cuddle a giant Winnie the Pooh, his horseplay and goofy smiles drawing big smiles in a park surrounded with rubble.

Volunteers are cheering up children across Palu with songs and games as the youngsters come to grips with a city hollowed out and twisted by nature.

The confronting scene is especially grim for the estimated 180,000 youngsters affected by the disaster.
Erna wanted to offer a distraction from the misery.

She threw a Winnie the Pooh costume and other props in a car, gathered some friends and drove three hours to Palu.
There, a volunteer sweated in the tropical heat inside the red and yellow suit as kids giggled and embraced the loveable bear.

“I felt sorry for the children, and I didn't want them to be traumatised,” Erna told AFP.

Aid workers on the ground said many children were shocked and distressed by the scale of the disaster.

- AFP