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ID
ACTNews, JAKARTA - Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) will
dispatch Humanitarian Ships to respond to natural disasters in West Sulawesi. During
this emergency phase, the earthquake survivors are in dire need of food. Therefore,
ACT will sail 1,000 tons of food and other basic supplies collected from the
public to help fellow Indonesians that were recently hit by earthquake.
The magnitude 6.2 earthquake forced tens
of thousands to flee to safety, and hundreds were injured. The evacuees try to
survive with only a little they have. In addition, they are prone to
contracting Covid-19 in evacuation sites. Hence, a strong collaboration is
needed to meet the need of the earthquake survivors.
The Humanitarian Ship for West Sulawesi
will be a form of a great collaboration of generosity from all Indonesian people.
The ships will depart from three different locations: Jakarta, Sumatra and
Surabaya. As an effort to Act Together to Save the Nation, the Humanitarian
Ships will carry 500 tons of rice collected from the Global Wakaf – ACT’s Waqf
Food Barn (LPW), and the remaining 500 tons will consist of other staple foods,
Waqf Drinking Water, blankets, and other basic supplies for the disaster victims.
"In the early stages of a disaster,
we make sure all teams are involved. The process of territorial control must be
carried out to see the scope of this disaster, how much damage and casualties
were incurred, and where the evacuation sites are. Secondly, we are preparing to
activate all aid posts so that they reach the communities in need. The
Humanitarian Ships aim to strengthen the food aid distribution to the affected
communities, "said ACT President Ibnu Khajar.
The Humanitarian Ships for West Sulawesi
is expected to depart within the next week or two. During that time, ACT invites
the Indonesian people to jointly support the Humanitarian Ship program.
“We will send Humanitarian Ships to Majene
and Mamuju from three points. Insha Allah, we will send 1,000 tons of aid from
Tanjung Priok port that we gather from ACT branches in West Java, Banten and
Jakarta. Then, we will also send 1,000 tons of aid from ACT branches in Sumatra
through the Humanitarian Ship that will sail from Medan. Another 1,000 tons of
aid from ACT branches in East Java and Yogyakarta Province will be carried by
the Humanitarian Ship that will from the port of Tanjung Perak, East. All of
the humanitarian aid will be sent directly to Majene and Mamuju. Insha Allah,
the ships will depart by late January,” added Ibnu.
The ships that will be used as humanitarian ships are Indonesian Naval Vessels. In addition, ACT also prepares
its volunteers to assist the earthquake victims. There are emergency response
volunteers, relief volunteers who take care of the aid distribution, and
psychosocial assistance volunteers that consist of psychologists and preachers that
provide spiritual support.
"These volunteers will carry out
their respective duties at various stages. Prior to departure, of course, these
volunteers will be trained and upgraded to ensure readiness for their
duties as well as their physical and mental health. In addition, we make sure
that we will comply with the health protocol to ensure the maximum work of the
volunteers," concluded Ibnu.
In previous years, as one of ACT's
flagship programs, the Humanitarian Ship has sent assistance to residents
affected by the Lombok earthquake, natural disasters in Central Sulawesi, hunger
in Papua, as well as to deliver aid to Somalia, Bangladesh for the Rohingyas,
and to Palestine. []
