To date, the death toll remains at an estimated number of 1,400 while the number of affected people has reached 14 million and is expected to climb further if aid delivery is not being effectively stepped-up. MR’s Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad explained that “the scale of devastation is extremely huge. Millions are stranded and have nothing with them. As such, it is important that we continue to address their basic needs for survival.” The second team is expected to deploy SGD 450,000 worth of relief supplies consisting of food (meals ready-to-eat), drinking water, tents and the i-Water ultra filtration systems.

Earlier on, the first relief team had distributed SGD 90,000 worth of relief supplies to meet the prevailing and dire priorities on the ground. MR will once again team up with its Pakistani counterparts, the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP), the National Sarhad Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) for the joint relief efforts.

Since starting its fundraising efforts a month ago, MR has raised SGD 806,989 for the South Asian Floods Relief through various fundraising efforts and public donations. Given the swift donation flow, MR has opened 2 new donation modes to facilitate donors’ convenience. The public can call the Mercy Relief office at 6514 6320 for more information or donate through:

CHEQUE

Crossed to ‘Mercy Relief Limited’, indicating South Asian Floods on the reverse, and send to 160 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh #01-1568, Singapore 310160

CASH

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

ATM TRANSFER/INTERNET BANKING (new)

Transfer donations directly to Mercy Relief’s DBS Current Account 054-900493-6

CREDIT CARD (new)

Via eNets at www.mercyrelief.org CLICK HERE TO DONATE

click submit and pledge to Current Emergency Relief

Thursday, 19 August 2010 – A year after the passing of its tribesman whilst on deployment to Zambales, Philippines in response to Typhoon Morakot, Mercy Relief (MR) observed the 2^nd World Humanitarian Day in a spirit of reflection and remembrance, led by a prayer by leaders of the main faiths in Singapore to honour its selfless aid workers who had sacrificed their comfort and risked their safety to serve the humanitarian cause.

The World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is a day designated by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution A/63/L.49 as a “special recognition to all humanitarian and United Nations and associated personnel who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause and those who have lost their lives in the course of duty.” Held at Singapore Polytechnic, Mercy Relief’s institutional partner  in the area of research for development of appropriate technological solutions for rural applications, the WHD event also aimed to draw attention to the humanitarian needs worldwide, to remind the public of the ongoing suffering of the less privileged around us.

From left: MR Chairman T K Udairam, Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad and Advisor Speaker Abdullah Tarmugi showing DPM Teo around the exhibits - the iWater treatment system in the system tent before the event

Mercy Relief’s Chairman, T K Udairam, shared with stakeholders and guests on the work, challenges and risks faced by relief implementers on the ground. In his speech, Mr Udairam paid a tribute to various stakeholders who have supported Mercy Relief’s humanitarian efforts by stressing that, “our reach to the needy communities are made possible only with the kind contributions from generous individuals  and groups who share our vision to cushion the sufferings in affected and deprived corners of the region.  As a custodian of the noble intentions of Singaporeans, Mercy Relief can only be as big and effective as the support it gets from its stakeholders. We will continue to work hard towards preserving the trust of our stakeholders and realizing the hopes of our beneficiaries.”

Token of appreciation to MR's dependable institutional partner, Singapore Polytechnic for sponsoring the event venue

At the event, Guest of Honour, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean welcomed back the Mercy Relief team which returned last weekend from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan and conveyed his deepest sympathies to the people in Pakistan who have lost their loved ones and their homes. In highlighting Mercy Relief’s effort to distribute much needed food, tents, medicines and water treatment systems to the affected communities, DPM Teo mentioned that “as a Singaporean-born-and-bred humanitarian NGO Mercy Relief is one of Singapore’s success stories, having made important contributions both locally and in the region.  You are respected for the good work that you carry out, and have also been able to establish goodwill, confidence, trust and love between citizens of our Asian neighbours and Singaporeans.” On behalf of Mercy Relief, DPM Teo also presented tokens of appreciation and received cheques from its donors which included MSE Angullia Trust, Glowtech Environmental Group and RLAF’s Blessings To All Foundation.

Eulogy for the late Shalahudin Johari- Mr Sazali Johari sharing on how his brother FOUND PEACE when he joined Mercy Relief

In honour of MR's late tribesman, Mr Shalahudin Johari

Tribute to Mr Shalahudin Johari

In remembering and honouring its fallen tribesman- the late Mr Shalahudin Johari’s contribution and conviction to the humanitarian cause, Mercy Relief’s single largest donor and dedicated volunteer, Professor Tay Kheng Soon delivered a eulogy to share the fond memories he had walking the ground in Sri Lanka with Mr Shalahudin to undertake the rubanisation project for the displaced communities affected by the armed conflict situation. Following that, Mr Shalahudin’s sibling, Mr Sazali Johari shared with the guests on how his late brother found peace working at Mercy Relief. To continue Shalahudin’s works in preserving the sanctity to humanity, his family made a donation  to Mercy Relief to fund an education project in his name. Shalahudin kick-started a project called “English for Everyone” in Vietnam in July 2009 but unfortunately, he was not destined to see the project’s successful completion in April this year, where more than 5,000 Vietnamese kids in the sub-districts of Ho Chi Minh City can now speak decent English.  This donation shall be used to benefit more students and continue to keep Shalahudin’s humanitarian spirit alive.

Prof Tay sharing with the guests on the Rubanisation project that he was to kickstart with Mr Shalahudin

Showcase of MR’s iPhone Application

The event also included the launch of Mercy Relief’s iPhone Application developed by Apostrophe Digital Pte Ltd. In an effort to connect its stakeholders and bring together its partners to share their technological, industrial expertise and resources to establish an integrated civilian alliance for better response to the increasing calls for humanitarian assistance in the region, this Application was designed to bring Mercy Relief into the technological age of mobile telephony as it enhance its response capabilities for future emergencies. With this, users will now be able to find information on MR’s latest disaster response efforts and be updated on its ongoing development projects as well as to sign up for volunteer work. The Mercy Relief application can be downloaded easily via the app store on all iPhones/iPod Touch devices or the iTunes Store on a PC/Mac for free. An iPad “Mercy Relief XL” version will also be released soon to complement the current Application.

Heavy rains poured on most days since the MR team got into the KP province the Wednesday before, making access to affected areas extremely challenging.  USD 40,000 worth of tents, food and drinking water were procured locally and distributed at the IDP camps in Charsada and Nowshera.  In tandem, USD5,000 worth of pediatric medicines was delivered to the Kuwait Hospital, supported by MR’s long-time partner, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA).

Pakistani authorities say 14 million people are facing direct or indirect harm, while the United Nations has warned that children are among the most vulnerable victims, with diarrhoea the biggest health threat and measles a concern.

With food and drinking water being the prevailing and dire priorities on the ground, 5 units of ultra-filtration water systems worth USD 15,000 arrived in Peshawar from Singapore last Sunday.   The cargo was flown complimentary by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with kind assistance from the Pakistan High Commission in Singapore.  MR is working with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) to deploy the 800-litre/hour treatment systems designed by Singapore water company, Glowtec.

How to Help:

To contribute towards the relief efforts, do so through cash or cheques to MR.

For cheques, crossed to “Mercy Relief Limited“, indicating South Asian Floods on the reverse.

Send to Blk 160, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, #01-1568, Singapore 310160.

For enquiries, call MR at +65 6514 6320.

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.”

Held at one of the project locations at Dong Feng Township in Yan Jiang County, the inauguration ceremony was graced by Mercy Relief’s Advisor Abdullah Tarmugi, and Ms Shi Qian, Director of project partners Ziyang Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (ZFPA).

(L-R) Fostering Friendships – Ms Shi Qian, Mrs and Mr Abdullah Tarmugi and Mr Hassan Ahmad sharing a conversation with the villagers.

The S$600,000 projects were developed in tandem with assistance from ZFPA and tailored for Dong Feng Township, as well as Fei’e Village of Jian Yang County, to address the specific issues that had been stifling the villages’ economic progression amidst asphyxiating environmental conditions.

The villagers of Dong Feng Township had previously been affected by contaminated water wells and dried-up water tables, which made for a shortage of potable water, and consequently unhygienic living conditions. Starting from December 2009, Mercy Relief revamped the entired water-well system, boring 574 new wells capable of delivering 3m³ of potable water daily (the average household uses a daily average of 2m³ of water), thus providing a fresh supply of potable water via a new piping system to every household in five villages of the township.

Clean, drinking water has been made available for every household under the purview of Mercy Relief’s development project at Dong Feng

Dong Feng Township now thrives from its new-found water supply, which has improved sanitary conditions and also enhances livelihood possibilities like using the water for poultry farming for 2,301 villagers.

Prior to Mercy Relief’s project implementation in December 2009, the 1,025 villagers of Fei’e Village were living in an unfavourable sanitation environment where human and animal excrement were not managed properly – a hygiene issue exacerbated by the prevalence of open-pit toilets. Through the installation of biogas digestors serving all 224 households, an efficient waste management system was thus developed where the excrement is stored in the digestors underground and used to harvest biogas fuel, which is used as alternate fuel for cooking and lighting via the provision of biogas cookers and lamps. The residue excrement from the digestors is also used to fertilise the villagers’ crops – their main source of income.

This has generated savings for the villagers, from not having to use electricity from the grid for lighting, and encouraging them to abstain from the environmentally-unfriendly practices of buying coal and wood for cooking and chemical fertiliser for farming. More importantly, the project has revamped the sanitation environment to minimise the outbreak of epidemy in otherwise unhygienic conditions.

The biogas digestor which has provided alternate and free biogas fuel for Fei’e Village

Lighting is now available for free at the village via the usage of biogas lamps, saving the villagers the cost of buying electricity from the grid.

The harvested biogas being used for cooking – an environmentally-friendly alternative to the previous practice of using coal and wood.

Besides lighting and cooking, the reisude excrement in the biogas digestor is used to fertilise the villagers’ crops.

The projects underline Mercy Relief’s holistic approach to addressing water and sanitation, and livelihood issues as part of its sustainable development efforts in China.

Its Chief Executive Hassan stressed on the significance of peacetime development projects, saying that they “strengthen the disaster-mitigating capabilities of the rural communities, who are most exposed to disaster and epidemy risk. As poverty breeds vulnerability, the economic capacity-building from such initiatives therefore stand the communities in good stead for a better future.”

Friday, 14 May – Mercy Relief, who have collaborated with the Ministry of Home Affairs on several humanitarian relief operations and projects, are a partner of the Home Team Convention 2010. Held at the Suntec Convention Centre during the weekend of 14 – 16 May 2010, Mercy Relief are showcasing some of the highlights of its disaster relief operations, including live demonstrations of a pedal-powered ultra-filtration water treatment system, one that’s mounted on a bicycle for mobility and ease of use during the acute relief phase of a given disaster, where access to potable water is at its most critical.

For more information on the Home Team Convention 2010, please visit the event website –

http://www.hometeamconvention.sg

Mercy Relief will also be holding a workshop at the convention, with a focus on the importance of the community’s role in disaster mitigation.

Details of workshop:

Topic: The community’s Humanitarian Role in Regional Emergencies

Speaker: Jaffar Mydin, Head of International Programme

Date: Sunday, 16 May 2010

Location: Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre Level 3 Room 325

Registration is free and available at

http://www.hometeamconvention.sg/event-highlights/workshops/#MercyRelief

Having worked together to provide emergency relief at quake-battered Padang last year, and addressed the needs of poor and disadvantaged communities in Indonesia and Vietnam this year, Singapore’s first polytechnic and first local secular humanitarian organisation sealed their innate collaborative commitment with the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on 28 April 2010.

SP Principal Tan Hang Cheong and MR Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad cement the partnership with distinguished guests looking on

The MOC will see both parties strive to expand their existing cooperation to various strategic initiatives that would contribute to the development of the local humanitarian sector. Innovative programmes aimed towards the promotion of overseas volunteer activities, exchange of expert knowledge amongst the respective industry professionals, and innovation of appropriate technological solutions for rural and disaster-stricken communities have been included in the Cooperation.

SP students and staff from all faculties will be actively engaged and involved in all areas of the collaboration with the objective of providing them with the platform and opportunities to apply their knowledge and expertise to address regional humanitarian needs at MR’s project locations, and in tandem, experience the serving of total strangers appropriately which is an education in itself.  Courses on Humanitarian Affairs are also currently being formulated by a joint MR-SP committee to equip and guide those who are inclined towards the humanitarian sector.

SP’s Principal Tan Hang Cheong expressed his optimism towards a successful collaboration by highlighting that “these projects support our students’ overseas volunteer services to broaden their out-of-classroom experiences and give them a global mindset. They also coincide with MR’s overseas volunteer expeditions of encouraging more youths and adults to volunteer for overseas expeditions. Moreover, SP can work with MR to provide technological advice and support for MR’s international development projects”.

Corroborating Principal Tan’s comment, MR’s Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad, said in his speech that, “As an active implementing regional humanitarian outfit, it is important and fortunate for MR to have a strong and practical partner in SP who will be able to inject invaluable support in terms of development of appropriate technological products and solutions, and professional expertise and consultancy.  In short, MR may be considered as the humanitarian commando unit which effects penetration during emergencies and into poverty-stricken rural areas, whilst SP can be the Research-for-Development (R4D) unit akin to MINDEF’s DSTAR”.

In recognition of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) initial matchmaking role between SP and MR through the CD Lionhearter Club at SP, MHA’s Permanent Secretary Benny Lim graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. MR’s Chairman T K Udairam, SP’s Governor Teh Kong Leong and Singapore Civil Defence Force Commissioner Peter Lim were also present at the signing.

SP student volunteers (in black and white t-shirts) sharing their expedition experiences with MR’s Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad (4^th from left), SP Principal Tan Hang Cheong (4^th from right) and MHA Perm Sec Benny Lim (extreme right)

An integrated exhibition was also put up to showcase the three partners’ collaborative works thus far.

SP students describing their community development projects to MHA’s Perm Sec Benny Lim

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