Gempa di Padang: Bantu kawasan terpinggir

PADANG: Atas rasa keprihatinan dan tanggungjawab, Aman Malaysia semalam menghulurkan bantuan kemanusiaan kepada mangsa gempa bumi terutama di beberapa lokasi pedalaman di sekitar Pariaman, dekat sini, yang terjejas teruk akibat bencana alam itu.

Misi kemanusiaan diketuai Pengerusinya, Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid bersama beberapa pegawai itu bermula kira-kira jam 8 pagi waktu tempatan (9 pagi waktu Malaysia) dengan memberikan barangan keperluan harian iaitu air mineral, susu tepung bayi dan makanan ringan.

Ia merangkumi 15,000 unit makanan ringan, 3,000 botol air mineral dan 500 kilogram (kg) susu tepung bayi berusia enam tahun ke bawah yang dianggarkan bernilai kira-kira RM25,000.

Semua barangan seberat 2,300kg itu diserahkan kepada Himpunan Pengusaha Muda Indonesia (HIPMI) melalui Ketua Umum Daerah Sumatera Darat, H Erick Hariyona, yang bertindak sebagai orang tengah untuk mengagihkannya kepada mangsa.

Aman Plans To Send More Milk And Other Aid To Padang

PADANG (INDONESIA), Oct 8  — Aman Malaysia’s next aid mission to Padang would involve the supply of baby milk powder, baby biscuits, diapers, women’s sanitary pads, launch a charity fund, provide more medical aid and look into the possibility of providing tents and blankets.

Aman and Pemuda Umno International Bureau Chairman Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid told Bernama after his visit to Padang here today that he would brief Aman and Pemuda Umno regarding the needs of the Padang quake victims.

Ahmad Zaki who was working in concert with the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) in Padang to distribute Aman’s first reconnaissance aid supply, said the first mission involved the supply of baby milk powder, food, pampers.

“Next we will discuss with Hipmi to help build a mosque and prepare tents and shelter as make-shift schools for children. I will table a report to Aman and Umno Youth.

“We are fortunate that we have a distribution network in place through Hipmi which can identify areas that need assistance since aid from other organisations have not reached such areas yet.

“Even when we arrived, there were NGOs from Malaysia who sought our help to distribute their goods and aid to affected places,” said Ahmad Zahid.

Ahmad Zahid’s counterpart, Hipmi Peduli - Gempat Sumatera Barat Chief, Yuliandre Parwis said so far, they had distributed close to 20 tonnes worth of food supply and goods to areas that were badly hit and some in the Pariaman district have yet to receive aid.

“They have a lot of rice, instant noodles and bottled water. What they do need are medical supply, more doctors, more milk,” said Ahmad Zahid.

His statement was proven right today when the villagers of Kampung Dalam, Dusun Jua Banyak in the Pariaman district came in droves when baby milk powder was distributed.

Padang Quake Victims Remain Resilient Despite Deplorable Conditions

PADANG (INDONESIA), Oct 8  — Their homes and lives may have been destroyed but the tenacity in some of the Padang earthquake survivors continues to burn brightly even in the wake of such a traumatic disaster.

During an aid mission together with Aman Malaysia Thursday, Bernama witnessed such perseverance in some of the worst hit areas of the Pariaman district where no aid has arrived from any source since these places are difficult to reach.

Nawir Nagur, 46, head of a household of 13 from Dusun Jua Banyak, Kampung Dalam, Pariaman in Padang showed an amazing resilience even though her house was destroyed by the earthquake.

“My house was destroyed and we live here,” said Nawir, pointing to a small earth floor hut with an estimated size of only 60 square foot.

Hers, was perhaps only one out of an estimated 6,500 houses destroyed by the devastating earthquake which had taken an untold amount of lives, and yet she and her villagers remained smiling, cheerful and thankful when Aman Malaysia brought them food donations.

“We need camps, milk for the babies and medicine. The air is polluted and unhealthy and some of us are asthmatic, some have throat infection and itchiness due to lack of proper shelter and sanitation,” said Nawir.

Throughout the journey heading towards her village, a number of children waiting by the roadside holding out boxes, begging for food, was a common sight.

Whenever a kind Samaritan stopped his or her vehicle to donate some food, the children would quickly rush towards the vehicle in search of food.

But despite troubled times, money, it seems has no value to the people of Padang as was the case at a service station in Pariaman where three transparent donation collection boxes outside a prayer room was almost filled to the brim with money but remained idle.

When the Aman and volunteer team members enquired why no one had tried to steal the money, one of the locals, who wished to remain anonymous simply said, “Why does anyone need to steal?

“This money is for welfare, to build a surau and to be used for those who need assistance.”

Another testament to the strength of the Padang people was how quickly they had managed to get back to business even after having their neighbour’s house or shop collapse next to their own.

Even during Aman Malaysia’s extremely quick one day visit, members of the team noticed that the food prepared there was still extremely delicious and satisfying.

Under a joint effort between Aman Malaysia and Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association, around RM25,000 worth of goods were distributed to the earthquake struck region of Padang, Indonesia.

Aman and Pemuda Umno International Bureau Chairman Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid led the four-man humanitarian aid mission from Malaysia today and brought along 2,300kg of water, powdered milk and dry food from Kuala Lumpur to aid around 500 household.