Together in suffering and celebration
The delegation of 68 Malaysians have found a reason to be happy in the middle of their relief efforts.
KARACHI:
They came with a desire to help. But the delegation of 68 Malaysians have found a reason to be happy in the middle of their relief efforts in Pakistan. They will be celebrating Eid — which they feel comes as a much-needed reason to be joyous — with the flood survivors.
For Dr Punita, one of the delegates, her religion does not stop her from finding joy in another’s. “Although I am a Hindu, Eid in Malaysia is a big celebration and festive time. I am glad to be here to support those who are suffering,” she said.
Dr Punita, who also worked for some time in Indonesia, said that she had previously thought that the Indonesians were poorer than the people in Pakistan. Since her arrival, though, she has gone through a radical change of opinion. “I am happy to spend some time with the people here, especially this close to Eid,” she said.
Along with Dr Punita, volunteers from Club Petara 1 Malaysia also came to Pakistan to assist flood survivors on the directives of the Malaysian prime minister. So far, the Malaysian government has donated a sum of $1 million as well as relief goods worth $1 million to the flood survivors. The delegates, between the ages of 26 and 50 years, arrived as part of the country’s efforts to provide first-hand help to the survivors.
Doctors, students and media representatives came bearing more than 30 tons of food, medical supplies and other relief goods. The delegation arrived on September 3 and will stay till September 10 to provide relief to IDPs across the province, including Karachi and Thatta.
At a meeting with Governor Dr Ishrat ul Ebad at Governor House on Tuesday, Dato’ HJ Club president Abdul Azeez Bin Abdul Rahim said, “The 68 individuals from Malaysia are from different backgrounds and have come to help the needy people here.”
The government of Pakistan appreciates the efforts of the Malaysian government, said Ebad. He added that the rehabilitation of the displaced people is the prime concern of the authorities and “a challenge of great magnitude”.
Dr Shah Jahan Yussuf, a medical officer at the University Malaya Medical Centre, said that 40 of the delegates are doctors and most of them have been trained in emergency and trauma management. While flood survivors need assistance in all forms, their needs differ from place to place, said Yussuf, who added that while survivors in Karachi need medical assistance and food more than anything else, the IDPs in areas surrounding Gharo are in a worse state as they have been neglected.
“In Karachi, the health ministry is making an organised effort with the camps,” said Yussuf, who maintained that while the Malaysian team had assisted 540 patients in the last two days in Gharo, it was not able to reach other regions due to management issues.
Although Yussuf has been on missions to Jakarta and the Philippines, he said that he was “deeply touched” when he saw the suffering of the people in Pakistan. “But we have to contain our grief and be strong to be able to work for them,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2010.
They came with a desire to help. But the delegation of 68 Malaysians have found a reason to be happy in the middle of their relief efforts in Pakistan. They will be celebrating Eid — which they feel comes as a much-needed reason to be joyous — with the flood survivors.
For Dr Punita, one of the delegates, her religion does not stop her from finding joy in another’s. “Although I am a Hindu, Eid in Malaysia is a big celebration and festive time. I am glad to be here to support those who are suffering,” she said.
Dr Punita, who also worked for some time in Indonesia, said that she had previously thought that the Indonesians were poorer than the people in Pakistan. Since her arrival, though, she has gone through a radical change of opinion. “I am happy to spend some time with the people here, especially this close to Eid,” she said.
Along with Dr Punita, volunteers from Club Petara 1 Malaysia also came to Pakistan to assist flood survivors on the directives of the Malaysian prime minister. So far, the Malaysian government has donated a sum of $1 million as well as relief goods worth $1 million to the flood survivors. The delegates, between the ages of 26 and 50 years, arrived as part of the country’s efforts to provide first-hand help to the survivors.
Doctors, students and media representatives came bearing more than 30 tons of food, medical supplies and other relief goods. The delegation arrived on September 3 and will stay till September 10 to provide relief to IDPs across the province, including Karachi and Thatta.
At a meeting with Governor Dr Ishrat ul Ebad at Governor House on Tuesday, Dato’ HJ Club president Abdul Azeez Bin Abdul Rahim said, “The 68 individuals from Malaysia are from different backgrounds and have come to help the needy people here.”
The government of Pakistan appreciates the efforts of the Malaysian government, said Ebad. He added that the rehabilitation of the displaced people is the prime concern of the authorities and “a challenge of great magnitude”.
Dr Shah Jahan Yussuf, a medical officer at the University Malaya Medical Centre, said that 40 of the delegates are doctors and most of them have been trained in emergency and trauma management. While flood survivors need assistance in all forms, their needs differ from place to place, said Yussuf, who added that while survivors in Karachi need medical assistance and food more than anything else, the IDPs in areas surrounding Gharo are in a worse state as they have been neglected.
“In Karachi, the health ministry is making an organised effort with the camps,” said Yussuf, who maintained that while the Malaysian team had assisted 540 patients in the last two days in Gharo, it was not able to reach other regions due to management issues.
Although Yussuf has been on missions to Jakarta and the Philippines, he said that he was “deeply touched” when he saw the suffering of the people in Pakistan. “But we have to contain our grief and be strong to be able to work for them,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2010.