A year after the passing of its tribesman whilst on deployment to Zambales, Philippines in response to Typhoon Morakot, Mercy Relief (MR) observed the 2nd 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.

Inter-faith religious leaders led a somber prayer in remembrance of Mr Shalahudin Johari

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.

Abstract from MR Chairman speech

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 supportedMercy 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.”

Abstract from GOH speech

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 AllFoundation.

DPM Teo observing the iWater system demonstration.

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 therubanisation 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.

Always Remembered –the late MR Tribesman Shalahudin Johari.

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.

About Mercy Relief

Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.  

In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,  Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.

For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org

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