Tsunami victims will get all donations collected: AltAid
Pauline PuahPublished: Jan 15, 2005 1:51 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
The AltAid Aceh Tsunami group which has collected RM35,000 so far has assured donors that every single sen collected will reach genuine tsunami victims in Aceh.
The AltAid Aceh Tsunami group which has collected RM35,000 so far has assured donors that every single sen collected will reach genuine tsunami victims in Aceh.
We are managing the funds in an alternative way as the situation in Aceh should not be handled in a normal disaster-aftermath circumstances because Aceh is a war-torn region, AltAid spokesperson Masjaliza Hamzah said today.
"We must realise that Aceh has been under military rule for the past 30 years. The military should not have a hand in aid distribution to ensure that they reach the right people," she said when contacted.
Masjaliza also explained that AltAid is a forum of individuals who aim to complement current relief efforts in Aceh by filling in the gaps caused by the political reality of a natural disaster in a state under siege.
"We will try to identify the gap as some of our members have a long history of working with the people in Aceh. This makes us different from other relief funding," she said.
Malaysiakini is providing an on-line payment to the AltAid Acheh Tsunami group whose website details the usage of funds received. The funding collected will be public-audited.
No bureaucratic walls
Masjaliza emphasised the importance to initiate alternative funding although the amount collected by the group is small in comparison with other relief groups.
"We don't have to face bureaucratic walls so the distribution of the relief items will be more efficient," she added.
Last week, there were reports that corruption among the Indonesian military has been hampering relief efforts in Aceh, which is the hardest hit area in the tsunami disaster.
On their means to collect donations before setting up the Malaysiakini Tsunami Relief Fund, Masjaliza said that "we just sms and email each other and collect the donations among friends initially".
Two AltAid members are now in Aceh to distribute relief items including medicine, mineral water and cash.
Masjaliza also disclosed that the group will work on a long-term basis to pressure the UN to play a more proactive role in Acheh.
"We want the UN to be an international observer in Aceh in the long term to monitor the human rights situation in the region," she added.
Click here to enter the AltAid Aceh-Tsunami website
We are managing the funds in an alternative way as the situation in Aceh should not be handled in a normal disaster-aftermath circumstances because Aceh is a war-torn region, AltAid spokesperson Masjaliza Hamzah said today.
"We must realise that Aceh has been under military rule for the past 30 years. The military should not have a hand in aid distribution to ensure that they reach the right people," she said when contacted. Masjaliza also explained that AltAid is a forum of individuals who aim to complement current relief efforts in Aceh by filling in the gaps caused by the political reality of a natural disaster in a state under siege.
"We will try to identify the gap as some of our members have a long history of working with the people in Aceh. This makes us different from other relief funding," she said.
Malaysiakini is providing an on-line payment to the AltAid Acheh Tsunami group whose website details the usage of funds received. The funding collected will be public-audited.
No bureaucratic walls
Masjaliza emphasised the importance to initiate alternative funding although the amount collected by the group is small in comparison with other relief groups.
"We don't have to face bureaucratic walls so the distribution of the relief items will be more efficient," she added.
Last week, there were reports that corruption among the Indonesian military has been hampering relief efforts in Aceh, which is the hardest hit area in the tsunami disaster.
On their means to collect donations before setting up the Malaysiakini Tsunami Relief Fund, Masjaliza said that "we just sms and email each other and collect the donations among friends initially". Two AltAid members are now in Aceh to distribute relief items including medicine, mineral water and cash.
Masjaliza also disclosed that the group will work on a long-term basis to pressure the UN to play a more proactive role in Acheh.
"We want the UN to be an international observer in Aceh in the long term to monitor the human rights situation in the region," she added.
Click here to enter the AltAid Aceh-Tsunami website
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