One million to get free rice
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ibu Mien's face brightened when volunteers started to take coupons from people standing in line at the Semanan district administration office near Kalideres in West Jakarta on Sunday.
After an hour of queuing, she was more cheerful and anxious to know if she would soon receive rice from the volunteers that collected her coupons.
"The rice will serve as a nice treat for my family during the upcoming months," she said.
Mien, who sells coconuts at the Semanan traditional market, said she sometimes had difficulty sustaining a decent life for her family of three children on her own.
"It (the donation) means a lot to me because I can now use some of my income ... for something else," she said, smiling.
Mien shook hands with the volunteers as soon as she received the rice in expression of her gratitude. Other recipients also did the same thing as the woman.
Those residents in the Semanan neighborhood were among many others who would and have received rice from the Indonesian Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Indonesian Military (TNI).
Sunday's rice distribution was part of a series of events the foundation will sponsor nationwide to help provide free rice to the poor.
The foundation began distributing the rice to the poor in an event held in Panjaringan, Pluit, North Jakarta on May 31.
Present at the ceremony were Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah, State Minister for National Development Planning Kwik Kian Gie, Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso and City Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara, who officiated the start of the distribution.
"It is a humanitarian effort to help the poor with basic necessities they often cannot afford," Daud Dharsono, a spokesman for the foundation, said in Semanan on Sunday.
He said his office would give around 10,000 tons of free rice to about one million poor people in 200 locations across Greater Jakarta alone, adding that distribution in the capital would continue until June 22.
Daud said his foundation planned to distribute 50,000 tons of rice to the poor across the crisis-hit country, targeting about five million people.
So far, the free rice -- donated by the foundation's branches worldwide -- has also been distributed in the neighborhoods of Penjaringan and Kemangan in North Jakarta, and the neighborhoods of Kapuk and Jembatan Besi in West Jakarta.
"After the first stage of rice donation is finished in Greater Jakarta, we will begin moving outside the city to distribute the remaining 40,000 tons to the needy," Daud said.
Thousands of volunteers, including dozens of soldiers and officers from local district administrations and neighborhood units, assisted with the distribution in Jakarta.
A team has been set up in each neighborhood unit with the task of distributing two coupons to each poor family.
Families will be able to exchange their coupons for a total of 40 kilograms of rice.
"The responses are overwhelmingly positive. Some people have expressed their gratitude and said the rice could last several weeks," said Daud.