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MERCY Malaysia Opens Indonesia's First-Ever Tsunami Resource Centre |
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Monday, 02 July 2007 |
Aceh, Indonesia – MERCY Malaysia today
launched the first-ever Tsunami Resource Centre in Indonesia that
serves to educate communities about the tsunami, disaster preparedness
and potential efforts thereafter.
As
part of the The Tsunami Learning project that is funded by the Force of
Nature Aid Foundation, Malaysia (FON), the Tsunami Resource Centre
showcases MERCY Malaysia’s and other NGOs’ efforts to rebuild and
rehabilitate post-tsunami Aceh through its many major projects on top
of sharing information in terms of the tsunami and MERCY Malaysia’s
strategy of Total Disaster Risk Management.
“We
have worked together with the people of Aceh to rebuild their lives
from the very day the Indian Ocean Tsunami hit their shores on the 26th
of December 2004,” said Datuk Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, President of MERCY
Malaysia. “And as our understanding of disasters evolves over the
years, we realise that we cannot be contented with merely being able to
provide efficient response to a disaster situation.
“Before
we leave Aceh’s shores, we want to ensure that the knowledge and
information accumulated from in and around Aceh over the past few
post-tsunami years has been captured and collated in this resource
centre,” added Dr. Jemilah. “Through these learnings, we hope to create
well-informed communities with an in-depth understanding of disaster
risk management and safety procedures.
“We
also hope that by disseminating this information, we will empower local
communities by making them more proactive when it comes to safety and
mitigating a disaster’s impact. And in line with our final goal, this
knowledge will decrease the vulnerability of communities while making
them more resilient to face future challenges.
Set
up in collaboration with the Asian Disaster Reduction & Response
Network (ADRRN), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, the centre’s
objectives also include:
- Providing a critical appraisal of MERCY Malaysia’s action plan, programmes and policies;
- Operating as a resource channel for undergraduate teachers of the faculty in the education of disaster risk management; and
- Serving as a knowledge reference for authorities and communities.
Housing
a training centre, computer laboratory and administration office, the
Tsunami Resource Centre hopes to reach all levels of society to fully
equip the people of Aceh with pertinent knowledge regarding disaster
preparedness, thus ensuring a safer and more secure future for all.
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