09 December 2016
Mercy Malaysia provides emergency assistance to communities affected by Aceh earthquake
KUALA LUMPUR, 9 DECEMBER 2016 – Following the 6.5 magnitude earthquake on the 7th of December 2016 in the Andaman Sea, northeast of the Indonesian province of Aceh (Sumatra Island), MERCY Malaysia immediately deployed four local team members who are based in Medan and Banda Aceh to the hard-hit town of Meureudu in the district of Pidie Jaya. Subsequently, on the 8th December and 9th December, two other teams from the Kuala Lumpur Headquarters were deployed there to conduct a thorough assessment on the medical and basic needs of the communities affected. The HQ teams were led by MERCY Malaysia’s Director of Strategic Programme Development, Norazam Abu Samah, and consisted of two logisticians and three medical personnel.
Following the assessment, it was found that the immediate needs were on the provision of hygiene and family kits for those who are placed in the camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP); Pusat Pemindahan Kampung Matang, Pusat Pemindahan Kampung Raya and Pusat Pemindahan Kampung Dee. As the first phase of the emergency response 426 hygiene and family kits have been procured locally from the nearby town of Sigli to be distributed to one of the IDP camps. This emergency response will be primarily funded by Maybank Foundation who is donating RM250,000 to meet the immediate needs as well as future needs found in the on-going assessments currently being conducted at the affected areas.
“MERCY Malaysia has always maintained a strong connection and relationship with the communities in Aceh since our disaster response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami which killed more than 100,000 Acehnese. Throughout the years we have implemented several health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects as well as construction projects in Aceh, and will continue to be committed in helping the affected communities to recover from this disaster through our expertise and assistance from donors”, said Dato Dr. Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus, President of MERCY Malaysia.
An earthquake with a depth of 10 km occurred in the Andaman Sea, northeast of the Indonesian province of Aceh (Sumatra Island) on Wednesday, where to date the National Disaster Management Authority of Indonesia has reported that the death toll has reached 102 people; with 125 people severely injured and 411 sustained minor injuries. Officials in Aceh said more than 8,000 people spent Wednesday night in shelters in Pidie Jaya district alone. The earthquakes’ strong tremor has heavily damaged 13 mosques, 105 shops and 86 community buildings.
For more information, please contact:
Jillian Louis, Communications Officer, MERCY Malaysia
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
T:+603-21422007 (Ext:244)
F:+603-2142 1992
M:+6019-228 3634
Wan Yuzaini Wan Yahya, Head of Fundraising & Communications, MERCY Malaysia
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T:+603-21422007 (Ext:245)
F:+603-2142 1992
M:+6019-228 0062
About MERCY Malaysia
MERCY Malaysia is a non-profit organisation focusing on providing medical relief, sustainable health-related development and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities in both crisis and non-crisis situations. MERCY Malaysia recognises the value of working with partners and volunteers as well as providing opportunities for individuals to serve with professionalism. We uphold the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief and hold ourselves accountable to our donors and beneficiaries. As a non-profit organisation, MERCY Malaysia relies solely on funding and donations from organisations and generous individuals to continue our services to provide humanitarian assistance to our beneficiaries. For more information, please visit www.mercy.org.my
How is MERCY Malaysia funded?
To ensure independence and impartiality, MERCY Malaysia relies on donations from the general public for financial support. A portion of our income is obtained from institutional donors, individual government grants and other international organizations, which are given on project basis. MERCY Malaysia spends 80% if its income in carrying out its relief operations and support.
Important Note to Media: Usage of Wordmark MERCY Malaysia
In order to avoid confusion with other organisation(s) that uses “Mercy” as the organisation’s name or part of the organisation’s name, please take note that in addressing the name of our organisation, the wordmark for MERCY Malaysia is with capitalised “MERCY”, followed by the word “Malaysia”. When describing the organisation, the term “MERCY Malaysia” must always be used in full, and should not be partially referred to as “MERCY”, or “Mercy”. Thank you for your cooperation.
