Baznas Meets Basic Needs of NTT Earthquake Victims

The National Amil Zakat Agency (Baznas) RI, through its Baznas Disaster Response (BTB) team, has established a public kitchen in the earthquake-affected area at Pancasila Islamic Boarding School, Mata Air Village, Reok District, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The measure aims to ensure the food needs of displaced residents are met.

Baznas RI Head of Distribution, Utilisation and Empowerment Idy Muzayyad said meeting basic needs, including food, is one of Baznas’s priorities in handling the earthquake disaster in NTT. “The public kitchen has begun operating to immediately produce meals, assisted by volunteers and local residents, to provide ready-to-eat food for people in evacuation shelters,” Idy said in Jakarta on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.

Idy stressed that community involvement is expected to accelerate service delivery while strengthening coordination in distributing aid to evacuees. He said the number of meals produced through the public kitchen will continue to be adjusted according to community needs.

“The most important thing is to meet the community’s basic needs. In addition to providing a public kitchen, Baznas continues to deploy various efforts to ensure affected residents receive the assistance they need during the disaster response period,” Idy said.

Idy said the food provision effort is part of Baznas’s humanitarian response to help communities cope with the post-earthquake emergency. Baznas will continue to stand with affected communities throughout the emergency response period.

According to Idy, Baznas will continue to monitor developments in the condition of affected communities to ensure the assistance provided remains aligned with needs on the ground. “Baznas is deeply concerned about the disaster in NTT. We know many of our brothers and sisters are affected and in need of help. Therefore, Baznas is committed to continuing to assist disaster-affected communities through the recovery period,” he said.