Islamic Help UK provides assistance in Aceh<\/p>\n
The grief of the Acehnese following the tsunami has touched
\npeople throughout Indonesia and abroad. A pervading mood of deep
\nsorrow has lingered in the wake of the tsunami disaster on
\nDecember 26, 2004, in which more than a hundred thousand people
\nperished.<\/p>\n
The losses inflicted by the devastating calamity were immense,
\nincluding valuable heritage of the Acehnese and Nias
\ncivilizations. It was like doomsday, rendering the local populace
\nhelpless as the tsunami leveled both regions' coastal areas in
\nonly ten minutes.<\/p>\n
The misfortune that befell the people in Nanggroe Aceh
\nDarussalam (NAD) and Nias, North Sumatra, attracted sympathy,
\nempathy and solidarity from people not only in Indonesia but also
\noverseas, regardless of religion, ethnic origin, skin color and
\nideology.<\/p>\n
Among those who felt the need to assist the Acehnese people were donors
\nfrom Europe, the U.S. and other parts of the world, including
\nIslamic Help of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Some time after the disaster, a delegation from Islamic Help,
\nled by its chairman, Mohammad Masood Alam Khan, visited Indonesia
\nand sought to arrange cooperation with the central board of
\nNahdlatul Ulama (NU) in channeling its assistance to the
\nAcehnese.<\/p>\n
After securing the cooperation of the NU, Islamic Help promptly
\nlaunched an emergency relief operation for the tsunami victims,
\nincluding the distribution of financial assistance, food and
\nmedicine.<\/p>\n
During the Islamic day of sacrifice, Islamic Help volunteers
\nslaughtered goats and cows in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh.
\nThe meat was distributed to refugees in Banda Aceh and its
\nsurrounding areas.<\/p>\n
In addition, Islamic Help and the NU also slaughtered goats
\nand cows in Java and then preserved and canned the meat to be
\ndistributed later to the refugees.<\/p>\n
As part of its relief efforts, Islamic Help donated an
\nambulance last January to support the NU's health recovery
\nprogram in Aceh. This ambulance has been in use since then and
\nhas been used by the NU in providing health services to people in
\nthe area.<\/p>\n
Following the emergency relief operation, Islamic Help started
\nout on the next phase of its assistance program for Aceh by
\nhelping orphans and schoolchildren in general with their
\neducation.<\/p>\n
The program includes the covering of all education costs for
\nall tsunami child victims accommodated in 33 dayah (Islamic
\nboarding schools) all over Aceh. The number of children reached
\nby this program exceeds 1,780.<\/p>\n
In addition, Islamic Help's educational assistance will also
\ncover the reconstruction of heavily damaged dayah.<\/p>\n
Based on data collated by the National Disaster Overcoming
\nCommittee of Nahdlatul Ulama (KPBA-NU), out of the total of 463
\ndayah all over Aceh, 21 were severely damaged. In fact, the
\nleaders of five of these dayah were killed by the tsunami.<\/p>\n
A team from Islamic Help, comprising chairman Khan and Sheikh
\nSultan Niaz Hasan, accompanied by representatives of Islamic Help
\nin Indonesia, Mabroer MS and Muhammad Agus Mulyana, recently made
\na tour of the damaged schools in Aceh Besar, along with an NU
\nteam.<\/p>\n
Following the tour, the teams decided on which dayah would be
\nrebuilt using the funds Islamic Help had raised, with NU being
\nentrusted to manage the daily operation of the boarding schools,
\nwhich also function as orphanages.<\/p>\n
If circumstances permit, the NU also plans to set up a health clinic
\nin one of the destroyed dayah. Though still a long-term project,
\nvarious efforts have been made to bring the project to reality.<\/p>\n
Khan said Islamic Help's assistance and role in supporting
\nthese dayah would continue in various forms, including
\nscholarships for the boarding school students or santri. In
\naddition, Khan said, the volunteers from Islamic Help would come
\nto Aceh again during Ramadhan to celebrate it together with
\naround 1,000 santri.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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