Assalamualaikum Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Alhamdulillah with your generous help, we are able to withstand the crisis in Papua. 

Our struggle is not over yet. In this blessed month of Ramadan, ACT Team inshallah continues to spread happiness to the remote Islands of Indonesia including Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku. 

Not only because of the poor facilities and less fortunate conditions of our brothers and sisters there, the severe drought also struck some areas in this fasting month. We need again your helping hand to ease their difficulties with your sadaqa and zakat.

Please generously channel your help through our LaunchGood Ramadan Campaign in this link www.launchgood.com/thebestramadhan

Jazakumullah khair, May Allah rewards you more in this special month of Ramadan!

Assalamualaikum Dear Generous Brothers and Sisters in Islam,

Here is brief report of our third medical team to eradicate the malnutrition in Papua.

Location : Papua Island, Asmat Regency, Asgat District, Sawa Erma sub-district

Period : 14-21 March 2018

Overview : The team consisted of 2 medical doctors and midwife, giving humanitarian aid to people in Sawa Erma sub-district. Food aid in the form of milk and biscuits. From the doctor’s assessment in this sub-district, it is founded that 12 of the children here are still malnourished. 

Beneficiaries : Around 300 people

Documentations :

 

Residents of Papua gathered for Humanitarian Relief

Food Aid Distribution from the Donors of LaunchGood

Medical Aid for Papua by our Medical Team

Children in Papua are still at risk of malnutrition in other sub-districts. Your prayer and supports are still needed. Inshallah we will continue to give the humanitarian relief in other sub-districts of Papua.

May Allah always bless you and your family also.

Please share and keep support our campaigns to eradicate the malnutrition in Papua!

Jazakumullah khair!

Dear Generous Brothers and Sisters,

Since the beginning of the malnutrition and measles outbreak in 2017, ACT had delivering donations from the donors in a form of food aid, medical services, and/or counselling programs to people in Asmat, a province the easternmost of Indonesia.

According to Azhari Mughful (28), a doctor who was the coordinator of the second medical team who just returned to Jakarta, the malnutrition outbreak in Asmat is in fact complex. "The fundamental issue of the outbreak is the mindset of the people. To fulfill their daily needs, they use to go into the forest and stay there for days. And during that time, they would eat anything they could find to survive without considering the nutrition," he explained.

With all of your prayers and support, Alhamdulillah we can manage to send up to 3 batches of doctors and nutritionists to Asmat along with food and medical relief.

Please generously support us again to deliver aid and educate more people in other villages in Asmat Regency, Papua.

Your share and care are priceless!

Jazakallah khair!

Assalamualaikum Dear Savior of Papua!

ACT's Medical Volunteer Team for Asmat batch I arrived in Agats District, capital of Asmat Regency. Their mission was to give a counselling about healthy living as well as free healthcare services to the locals, in reponse to the malnutrition and measles outbreak since September 2017. Previously, they were given comprehensive explanation about the recent situation in Asmat by another medical team who just returned from the region.

Please share this updates and keep support us in saving generation of Papua in Asmat. Our next batch of Medical Volunteer will continue giving food aid and healthy living counselling to other villages and sub-districts in Asmat Regency.

Assalamualaikum!

Food for Papua in the form of high quality rice are safely arrived in the Asmat Port's warehouse. These sacks of rice already distributed and will be distributed to many villages in Asmat District.

Please share and keep on supporting our campaigns, all of your prayers and generous donations insyallah will save the generation of Asmat.

May Allah bless us always..

Jazakumullah khair!

Assalamualaikum, Jumat Mubarak!

Alhamdulillah, our volunteers and nutritionists already conducted training and practice for families in Asmat, Papua. This training inshaallah will eradicate the malnutrition of children and people in Asmat, Papua.

​

Please share and support our programs to make our brethren in Papua live in more healthy life!

Do not forget us in your prayers.

Jazakumullah khair.

Alhamdulillah, with your sincere supports and prayers, we have given Measles Vaccinations to children in Asmat Regency. Please share this and generously support us for further reliefs to eradicate malnutrition and measles in Papua.

Jazakumullah khair!

If we walk quickly, our footsteps will sound very loud here in Kampung Per. The feet of small Asmat children rattle every time they hit the wooden platform. The roads in this village are made of wooden platforms that were constructed decades ago. These platforms were erected on the swampy, muddy soil: typical topography of Asmat.

Walking along the small aisles in the village, some wooden boards were seen rickety, cracked, broken, perforated, even missing. These wooden boards make loud, thudding sound every time the local children run and step on them.

Even though Kampung Per is still a part of Agats District, the capital of Asmat Regency. It is located quite far away, around two hour journey on a fully loaded longboat. If the weather condition is bad, or if the water recedes, it is impossible to get to Kampung Per.

We, ACTNews team, visited Kampung Per on Sunday (11/2). When we were walking along the wooden path and greeting local children, we saw a boy sitting in front of his house, eating heartily. On his green plate, there was only plain rice, without side dishes nor seasonings.

“His name is Geni Siso. He’s four year old. Every time we have rice, he always wants to eat plain rice, without any side dish. Geni loves rice very much,” said Laurensius, Geni’s uncle with whom we talk in front of their house.

“Just few hours ago, there were 20 sacks of food donation from Agats evenly distributed in Rumah Bujang. Geni’s mother immediately cooked the rice for Geni to eat,” said the uncle.

Our guess was right. The rice that Geni was eating was the rice from the Humanitarian Ship for Papua that had just been distributed in Kampung Per.

“From Agats, before ACT team came to pay a visit, a longboat had come to bring 20 sacks of rice, approximately 500 kilograms, to Kampung Per. The rice was then distributed immediately in Rumah Bujang, an Asmat traditional meeting house,” said Diding Fachruddin, ACT’s team coordinator for the distribution of the food aid of Humanitarian Ship for Papua.

Malnutrition and Malaria haunt the children of Kampung Per

Geni really enjoyed every morsel of rice that he ate. He ate the warm rice heartily, without caring about his nakedness. According to his uncle, Geni doesn’t like to wear clothes. He likes to swim in muddy rivers. Geni’s mother goes to the river to fish every afternoon, and his father passed away when he was an infant.

“Just a week ago, I rushed to the health clinic carrying Geni. He was having a high fever. According to the nurse there, he suffered from Malaria,” explained Laurensius.

Since late January, the health crisis of Malaria and Malnutrition outbreak has been spreading in Kampung Per. The numbers of children suffering from Malaria rose drastically. Tens of children are infected by malaria in the last two weeks.

“In the last two weeks, we don’t have enough sleep. Every night, at 1 AM, 4 AM, or any other time, there are villagers who come to bring their children to the clinic. They all suffer from malaria,” said Hendrikus Hermin, a nurse in the supporting medical clinic in Kampung Per, Agats district.

Hermin recorded that, since January 27^th, no less than 36 children in Kampung Per have been suffering from Malaria.

“Even one of our fellow nurse is also suffering from malaria. Moreover, two children are suffering from malnutrition, and many of them suffer from nutrient deficiency,” said Hermin.

In recent weeks, malaria has been terrorizing Kampung Per. Geni is among the children infected by Malaria. “However, Geni is slowly recovering. He was temporarily transferred to Agats Regional General Hospital. After a few days of intensive care, Geni was allowed to go home,” said Hermin.

In the end of that afternoon, we, ACTNews team, sat on the wooden veranda, accompanying Geni who was finishing his plate of rice. The little boy from Kampung Per still hid his smile. However, since recovering from malaria, Geni is getting much better. The nutrient from the rice, although not quite complete, is helping him to recover.

“Alhamdulillah, every grain of rice that we have distributed in every village in Asmat can be very helpful during the recovery phase. The nutrition improvement process will be done gradually. Insha Allah, along with the rice distribution, there will also be biscuits and mineral water distribution to other villages in Asmat hinterland,” explained Syuhelmaidi Syukur, Senior Vice President of Aksi Cepat Tanggap.

The location of RSUD Agats makes it reachable for anyone to come for treatments, especially children coming from remote areas. It takes three hours, or tens of hours if the weather is in an unfavorable condition, to get to RSUD Agats to receive emergency treatments.

Such was the case of Kasimirus, a boy from Jorat Village. He arrived in a critical condition. Weighing only 7.1 kilograms at the age of three, his body is nothing but bones and skin.

Speaking of distance, three hours is the fastest time to get to Agats using a speedboat with powerful engine. The trip was through the river, amidst the jungle, into dozens of tributaries, to the Harbor of Agats.

“They are patients here, most of whom came from faraway villages. They’re recovering from complications of malnutrition and measles or malaria. We allow them to play around or stay outside the recovery room, for they cry if we keep them inside,” said a nurse who refused to be identified.

Kasimirus’s body was consumed by malaria. His legs were very thin; his hands were feeble; his femurs were bulging. His body is nothing but skin and bones.

“Kasimirus is my fifth child. He’s been suffering from malaria since December. I had eleven children, six of them died from malaria in our village,” said Kasimirus’ papa weakly.

Kasimirus is just one of many child patients in Agats General Hospital. Despite the revocation of the Extraordinary Event (KLB) status, there are still tremendous amount of things to do to solve this crisis.