Officially Launched, 6,486 Elders in 5 Provinces are Ready to Receive Social Aid

BEKASI (June 15, 2020) – The journey to distribute basic food social assistance by the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation of the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs continues. Today, 6,486 basic food assistance was officially launched for the elderly affected by COVID-19 in 5 provinces, namely Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY).

The launch was marked by the dispatch of 2,000 basic food assistance assistance for East Java Province by the Director General of Social Rehabilitation, Harry Hikmat at the "Budhi Dharma" Elderly Center Bekasi.

A total of 2,000 basic food assistance aids were brought by 2 trucks to East Java and directly escorted by a team from the Directorate of Social Rehabilitation for the Elderly. The rest will be distributed to 4 other provinces in the 4th week of June 2020.

"On behalf of the Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs, Juliari P. Batubara, I appreciate the Directorate of Social Rehabilitation for the Elderly who has made efforts to refocus the existing budget for 2020 according to the President's mandate and followed up by the Ministry of Social Affairs," said the Director General of Social Rehabilitation to the media crew.

Social assistance for basic needs consisting of rice, canned biscuits, juice, instant noodles with a value of Rp300.000 is prioritized for the elderly who have not received assistance from the Elderly Social Rehabilitation Program (LU), social assistance for basic necessities from the Minister of Social Affairs, social assistance for basic necessities/cash from the President of the Republic of Indonesia.

On this occasion, the Director General of Social Rehabilitation accompanied by the Director of Social Rehabilitation for the Elderly, Andi Hanindito also checked the readiness of the implementing team and the feasibility of the basic food assistance to be distributed.

This basic food assistance comes from the results of the 2020 Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation and Social Rehabilitation budget refocusing.

This assistance will be handed over to the Social Service of each province. Furthermore, each province distributes to the Elderly Social Welfare Institution (LKS-LU) to deliver directly to their fostered elderly.

The Ministry of Social Affairs' Sign of Love for East Java Province

The elderly are one of the priority recipients of the basic food assistance assistance due to the high level of vulnerability to COVID-19.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the highest number of deaths occurred in patients with COVID-19 aged 60 years and over. "The vulnerability of the elderly needs to be a concern for all parties," said the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

East Java Province is a priority for distributing basic food assistance because the trend of positive cases is still increasing. This is based on the results of a massive COVID-19 test in East Java Province.

Apart from that, the Ministry of Social Affairs appreciates the East Java Provincial Government for carrying out massive COVID-19 testing efforts. This activity is carried out in order to find out how many residents have been exposed to COVID-19 and to treat it as early as possible.

The social assistance for basic necessities distributed to East Java is a form of concern for the Ministry of Social Affairs. "Specifically, this basic food assistance is a sign of love from the Ministry of Social Affairs for the elderly in East Java," said the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

The Ministry of Social Affairs through the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation continues to ensure that elderly groups, especially the underprivileged groups, have access to social assistance. They need to fulfill their basic needs in order to maintain their health in order to avoid exposure to COVID-19.

The launch of the basic social assistance activity was attended by the Director of Social Rehabilitation for the Elderly and his staff, the Head of the Bekasi "Budhi Dharma" Elderly Center, the Bekasi "Tan Miyat" Disability Center and the Bekasi "Pangudi Luhur" Center and their staff and the secretariat team of the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation.