Ministry of Social Affairs Provides Assistance for Earthquake Survivors in Malang Regency

MALANG (April 16, 2021) - The Ministry of Social Affairs through the Braille "Abiyoso" Cimahi Literacy Center sent a Quick Response Team (TRC) to directly distribute the basic needs aid packages from Reader Abiyoso to the disaster site in Dampit District, Malang Regency, East Java in response to the earthquake that happened in the region on Saturday (April 10, 2021).

The Junior Social Counsellor of the Braille "Abiyoso" Literacy Center, Amin Suaedi, conveyed that Reader Abiyoso is a community that translates from reading books that are converted into voice books. They are volunteers who assist the "Abiyoso" Braille Literacy Center in producing talk books as voice actors. They consist of mothers, fathers, students, and others who volunteer their voices for the accessibility of the blind. This basic food aid is a form of concern for the victims of the earthquake disaster.

After coordinating with the Head of the Social Rehabilitation Division of  Malang Regency Social Service, Retno Tri Damayanti, the "Abiyoso" TRC Team consisting of 9 people, was immediately directed to visit one of the villages in Malang district that was damaged and had not received logistical supplies yet, namely Pamotan Village, Dampit District.

The Team made initial communication with the Village Secretary of Pamotan Gatot Sudarmanto. In Pamotan Village, there are 391 family heads (KK) whose houses were affected by the earthquake, 109 families or 409 people were displaced by setting up tents near their respective residences.

The Team provided basic food assistance in the form of rice, instant noodles, canned sardines, chicken eggs, and cooking oil at the Disaster Post at the Pamotan Village Office. In the disaster post, there is a Field Kitchen of the Sidoarjo Disaster Preparedness Cadets (Tagana). This field kitchen cooks 900 servings of food every day.

After distributing basic necessities, the Team visited the Psychosocial Support Service Post (LDP) located in Majangtengah Village, Dampit District. The Team invited the child survivors to playmaking airplane origami, car origami, and other games so that the children would forget about the events or trauma that affected them after the earthquake happened to their village.