Mercy: Volunteers still needed in Aceh
PETALING JAYA: Employers must not make it difficult for employees who want to volunteer their service in tsunami-hit areas because their help is still needed, Mercy Malaysia president Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood said.
“A lot of rehabilitation work still needs to be done in Aceh although the media attention has died down and many international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have pulled out,” she said.
Dr Jemilah said although volunteers were being sent to Aceh when needed, they faced difficulties in getting leave from their employers, be it from hospitals, the civil service or private companies.
“Some volunteers said they were threatened by their employers who told them that they won’t have a job to come back to while others were nervous about their bosses’ reactions and cancelled their trips at the last minute,” she said.
She added that paediatricians and medical specialists were still needed.
She noted that Mercy’s camp in Lhok Nga, Aceh, was currently housing 605 displaced people.
“We brought sewing machines and an oven to help the women be self-sustained and some have already secured contracts to supply clothes and food to the remaining international NGOs,” she said.
Mercy will also be rebuilding an orthopaedic unit, three health centres, 250 core houses and 77 relocation houses in the next couple of months in Banda Aceh, Lhok Nga and Meulaboh.
“By providing shelter, health facilities and a way to fend for themselves, we want to give them hope that they can come out of this and still have a future,” said Dr Jemilah.
She said the next step was to build earthquake-resistant homes and train locals to be prepared for disasters through the Asian Disaster Reduction & Response Network, which would send a team to Aceh next month.
Dr Jemilah, who is also chairman of the network, said a one-day consultative meeting would be held on Tuesday to discuss such issues with experts from Indonesia, Japan, Nepal and India.
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