Mercy Relief

Projects that build communities’ sustenance, and in tandem enhance the capacities of local NGOs

15 July 2010 – Mercy Relief (MR) unveiled 3 completed rural development projects at 3 different locations in Padang and Medan from 12-14 July to address the issues of water and sanitation, healthcare, education and livelihood faced by the communities afflicted by poverty.

The projects include inter alia the provision of water for consumption and livelihood (agricultural and livestock farming) at Pesisir Selatan District in West Sumatra, the eradication of open-defecation and waste management through the construction of communal sanitation facilities for slum community in Medan Belawan Sub-district and construction of irrigation systems; river repair to restore fishermen’s livelihood at Hamparan Perak Sub-district in North Sumatra.

A proper sanitation environment has been made available for the villagers under the purview of MR’s development project at Belawan

The projects feature a common trait of community empowerment – that the communities themselves were actively involved in the execution and management of the various schemes that complemented the projects, and that women augmented their traditional housewife roles to assist too, as a significant tenet as well as benefit.

Villagers now have new washing amenities to enhance the overall sanitary environment.

MR’s Chief Executive Mr Hassan Ahmad remarked that community involvement is a priority in our development projects, saying that “in doing so, the people take up ownership of the programmes, and are directly involved in the improvement process of their environment and self-enrichment. This is important, including the immersion of the women in decision-making and execution of the community initiatives.”

With the support and partnership of local Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), MR has been able to develop initiatives to kickstart the community’s development. It is imperative that the communities sustain the progression independently by taking ownership of the programmes and playing active roles in the improvement process.

One of the projects aimed to provide water for consumption and livelihood (agricultural and livestock farming) at Pesisir Selatan District in West Sumatra.

Pesisir Selatan Springs to Life – MR Chief Executive Mr Hassan Ahmad marks the successful installation of the water supply system at the inauguration ceremony.

Together with Indonesian partners Lembaga Pengkajian dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (LP2M), an NGO focused on development and enhancement of community organizations, MR strives to encourage community empowerment among the villagers. Village committees were set up as one of the methods to implement this sense of ownership. These village committees were established to maintain and manage important development project, like the water supply system, by collecting a nominal fee from each family.

(L-R) Sharing knowledge – MR Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad; LP2M staff  Edmaizal; Head of Parliament for Pesisir Selatan Regency  Mardinas N Syair; Village head  El Ermon and MR Senior Manager for International  Programme Abdul Wahab.

A centralised co-operative to set up micro-enterprises, like chicken and duck-rearing initiatives for the villagers, was another method used to help the villagers sustain the development efforts through their own progression.

Villagers can supplement their income by selling eggs laid by the ducks provided through a micro-enterprise scheme.

Another project was the eradication of open-defecation and waste management through the construction of communal sanitation facilities for slum community in Medan Belawan Sub-district.

Tapping Off a New Lease of Life – (1^st and 2^nd from right) MR Advisor Abdullah Tarmugi and MR Chairman T K Udairam inspect the new toilets at Belawan, together with (L-R) MR Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad,  ME Eusoff Angullia, Carrefour Indonesia President Director Shafie Shamsuddin and HSL Constructor Managing Director Lim Choo Leng looking on.

Applying its capacity and experience in engineering and construction, and in tandem with the support of Indonesian project partners Sources of Indonesia, an NGO with a focus on the improvement of social welfare, MR built a communal sanitation facility including 14 toilets, six showers and washing amenities.

More women are in the committees managing the dam, water points and mangrove nurseries, signifying the involvement of women in the community initiatives.

Five workshops were held in March to educate the villagers on the concept of recycling garbage as fertiliser or marketable products. This would empower the villagers to generate more income and sustain its community’s developments.

MR’s Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad remarked that “village communities are often brewing with ideas on development. It is through initiatives like this that we are confident we have started something for them to build on.”

Villagers at a committee meeting to discuss community initiatives.

A volunteer team from Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has graciously supported this project – by conducting checks to ascertain the fire hazard levels of the villagers’ homes, providing fire extinguishers and forming a village fire safety committee.

SCDF’s ‘Team Prevention’ volunteer team coaches Belawan’s schoolchildren on  using fire extinguishers during their fire management workshops.

In the Hamparan Perak Sub-district, the villagers’ main source of income is from paddy fields which are affected by improper irrigation and flooding from seawater inflow from the nearby coast (especially during rainy seasons), leading to crop destruction and an average annual yield of one harvest. The fishing industry (the secondary source of income for the villagers) is also in a slump due to coastal destruction and mangrove deforestation (due to villagers clearing land for paddy cultivation).

MR applied its technical knowledge skills and community development methodologies in tandem with Indonesian project partners Yayasan Pusakan Indonesia (an NGO with a focus on children and women protection issues) to implement water provision projects. The projects include the construction of water dams, provision of water points and cultivation of mangrove nurseries.

The successful implementation of MR’s development project has addressed the issues of water and sanitation, healthcare and livelihood and significantly strengthened the community’s belief of their integral role in improving their lives.

The successful implementation of MR’s development projects strengthened the community’s belief of their integral role in improving their own lives.

MR’s Chairman Mr T K Udairam championed the spirit of the communities saying that “the project implementers are just the facilitators of what a community is capable of on their own; just look at the schemes they’ve come up with over the past few months.” MR’s Chief Executive Mr Hassan Ahmad supported this statement by emphasizing that “what is more important now is that they continue the momentum of their own progression, such that the development is self-sustained.”

25 April 2010 – Mercy Relief’s (MR) disaster response team returns from Qinghai today, having completed a 10-day disaster relief deployment there.  With kind assistance from the Qinghai Civil Affairs Department and the Qinghai Poverty Alleviation and Development Bureau, the five-man team personally arranged for $80,000 worth of relief supplies comprising food, winterwear, paediatric medicines and children’s Play Packs to be despatched to earthquake-ridden Yushu Prefecture.

The 7.1 Richter earthquake, with 1,380 aftershocks, has claimed at least 2,220 lives, and left 12,135 injured, with 70 still unaccounted for.  Qinghai is currently experiencing snowfall, with temperatures dropping to sub-zero readings after nightfall.

Priority Requirement – Food supplies ready to be despatched to the affected areas

Loads of Relief – Much needed winter wear for the survivors facing sub-zero temperatures

The team also met with Qinghai’s Deputy Governor Wang Ling Jun to report on MR’s disaster relief efforts and to present the note of condolence from MR’s Advisor, Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi, to the Governor and people of Qinghai.

Mercy Relief’s Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad in meeting with Qinghai’s Deputy Governor Wang Ling Jun

Recounting the meeting with Deputy Governor Wang, Mercy Relief’s Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad said, “We were surprised when Deputy Governor Wang informed us that Mercy Relief was the only foreign NGO that was involved in the relief efforts and extended his gratitude to all the Singaporeans who have donated to the quake relief.  We were also amazed by his familiarity with young Mercy Relief’s post-Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction works in Sichuan earlier. He invited Mercy Relief to continue our engagement there for the rehabilitation phase.”

More than 110,000 survivors are currently displaced due to the pervasive devastation of buildings in Jiegu Town.  Mr Hassan added, “We told Deputy Governor Wang that funds permitting, Singaporean and Chinese hands would certainly join again to help the many survivors rebuild their lives, hopefully before the next winter.”

Over at the Qinghai Provincial People’s Hospital, the team visited an earthquake survivor, Mr Bideng, a 63-year-old retiree who had been warded with a broken left rib cage and injuries to his face, arms and shoulder.

Mercy Relief Head of International Programme, Abdul Jaffar, consoling 63-year-old quake survivor, Mr Bideng

The Chinese-speaking Buddhist Tibetan told the team he was at home with his wife in Jiegu Town when the earthquake struck.  They were buried under the rubble for hours before being extricated by rescuers. Mr Bideng’s wife also suffered from a broken rib cage and was recuperating in another ward. They consider themselves very fortunate to still be alive, considering none of their neighbours survived the disaster.  They are now looking forward to the reconstruction of their house and hope for a quick return to normalcy.

The public can support MR’s disaster rehabilitation efforts through:

Tele-Mercy:

1900 112 1010 (for a $10 donation)

1900 112 1050 (for a $50 donation)

Cheque:

Cross to ‘Mercy Relief Limited’ , indicating ‘Qinghai Quake Relief’ at the back and send to

160 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh #01-1568, Singapore 310160

Cash:

In person at 160 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh #01-1568, Singapore 310160

ATM Transfer / Internet Banking:

To Mercy Relief’s DBS Current Account 054-900493-6

EFE Festival in Full Swing – Students ham it up for the audience during a stage performance depicting Japanese culture

Wednesday, 14 April – Seven months following the implementation of the ‘English For Everyone’ community development project, the schoolchildren of Ho Chi Minh City showcased their newly-acquired skills at the ‘English For Everyone’ (EFE) Festival today, an event which celebrated the students’ linguistic development.

The festival, which was held at Tran Quoc Tuan Primary School, was graced by Speaker of Parliament and Advisor to Mercy Relief Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, as well as Prof. Dr. Nguyen Cong Nghiep, Vietnam’s Standing Deputy Minister of Finance.

(L – R)Mrs Tarmugi, Deputy Minister Prof Dr Nghiep, MR Advisor Abdullah Tarmugi, UFM Rector Dr My in attendance at the EFE festival

Featuring activities that showcased inter-cultural understanding, leadership and presentation skills, the festival saw 140 students from 14 elementary schools participating in friendly competitions at team level, and provided a preview of how far they have progressed since the EFE programme took off.

MR Chairman T K Udairam (left) and Advisor Abdullah Tarmugi (right) observe as the Vietnamese students showcase their EFE project

The festival was a celebration of the success of the EFE programme, a SGD $80,000 initiative mooted and funded by the people of Singapore through Mercy Relief as part of its ongoing community development efforts in Vietnam. Since its implementation in September 2009, the EFE programme has benefited more than 50 teachers and over 4,000 students from 14 elementary schools.

Mercy Relief’s Chairman Mr T K Udairam believes that programmes like EFE represent the right step forward for the schoolchildren’s development – “Education is the key to a better life for all, equipping the young generation with skills to be productive and therefore contribute to the economy. With English, the students have opened themselves to greater opportunities in gaining better employment in the more economically promising industries. With the success of this pilot project, we are exploring the possibilities of expanding the EFE programme to more schools in the near future with our partners.”

Mr Udairam giving out prizes to the EFE festival winners

University of Finance and Marketing Rector Dr Pham Thi Ngoc My said, “Today’s event marks an important step forward in trans-national collaboration for community services. This project is in line with the remarks made by Singapore’s Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew during his past visit to Vietnam; that young Vietnamese with a good command of English will help the country integrate into the regional and global communities in the globalization process. We believe our partnership with Mercy Relief will help strengthen the friendship relations between Vietnam and Singapore.”

Please click on the image for a clearer impression.