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A Message from the President
 Welcome
from the President
We are truthfully honored that you have taken the moment to visit our
new and informative website. We would like to thank donors and
supporters of Aceh Relief Fund who work together with us to provide
better future to the Acehnese that has been suffered from the massive
tsunami struck on December 26, 2004.
ARF was initiated by a group of Cornellian and Ithacans to help Saiful,
a Cornell graduate student, to return to Aceh to find missing family
members. Fifteen members of Saiful’s family remain missing, including
his younger brother, sister and her family, grandmother, uncle and
cousins. Saiful’s village was completely destroyed by the tsunami.
The initial effort to collect donations for Saiful was overwhelmingly
successful. As a result, ARF is in a position to help more victims of
the tsunami in Aceh.
To date ARF has delivered relief supplies, medicine and school supplies
to those in need. We also provide small cash assistance, operate a
mobile clinic, and are rehabilitating an educational center. As of March
1st, we have begun sponsoring more than 800 school children to enjoy
after school enrichment programs in Phi Beta, the center that we helped
to rehabilitate.
We will soon operate a mobile nutrition clinic and mobile library which
will visit camps, shelters, and villages.
We have already discussed adopting one particular village. Two teachers
from Ithaca were sent to Aceh to kick start the people-to-people
connection with villagers. We will soon provide small no-interest credit
facilities to the villagers as seed money to start small businesses,
operate hawker stalls selling vegetables, fish, etc.
Aceh Relief is fortunate to be based in Ithaca and in particular in the
Cornell community. But we need more support in order to help alleviate
the suffering of the Acehnese. We have been very effective thus far
because we work directly with the Acehnese, and we are supported by a
100% volunteer group.
Recovering from the tsunami is a long process. The Acehnese are just
getting over the initial shock of the disaster and the media has already
forgotten them. They need us to help get them back on their feet. It is
our responsibility to remind each other of their plight. They need us.
Help us help others!
Mazalan Kamis, Ph.D.
President
Posted: March 21st, 2005. |
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