It
was Sir Winston Churchill who claimed “We make a living by what we get. We make
a life by what we give” but it is Ishak Abdul Kadir who truly lives by such
words. Back in 2009, the organization ‘Insaf Technical Relief Malaysia’ or in
short Insaf Malaysia came to life and true to its name – Insaf translated to
English means Awareness/Consciousness – the organization, with Ishak at its
president, has set out to accomplish all it can. With a non-profit motif and
the core belief that regardless of race, religion, politics or gender, Insaf Malaysia
ensures all walks of life are eligible for relief: be it humanitarian or
technical.
Since
becoming officially registered under the ‘Register of Society’ in June 2011,
Insaf Malaysia has implemented a Cluster System that categorizes the work done
by the organization into four separate categories: Medical, Shelter, Food and
WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene). The first cluster, Medical, consists of
providing first aid and all basic services related to health emergency in times
of disaster. Furthermore, mobile clinics will provide a crucial role in
reaching the rural communities isolated by all man-made and natural disasters.
The second cluster, Shelter, aims to provide dry shelter to displaced or
homeless victims of disaster, particularly by relying on tents as a temporary
fix. In the long run, however, Insaf Malaysia and its team strive to
provide and work towards more permanent accommodations, including the
rebuilding of houses whenever possible. Thirdly, the next cluster, Food,
ensures food supplies are reached by victims of disaster and that these
supplies are respectful of the various religious beliefs and diets of each
victim. Lastly, the fourth and final cluster ‘WASH’ consists of ensuring and providing
proper water supplies and essential sanitation facilities to those whose lives
are at risk from inadequate water and poor sanitation. It is through these four
clusters that Insaf Malaysia defines its projects and programmes and sets out
to achieve its goals.
With
the all-encompassing vision to strive through voluntary action for a just
world, as well as provide help delivered with both respect and dignity, Insaf Malaysia has
been a catalyst for action both domestically and internationally. Helping the
lives of those vulnerable all over the world, Insaf Malaysia has carried out campaigns
under all four clusters in response to many disasters. Such campaigns include
‘Sebuah Rumah Sekampit Beras’ by which Insaf Malaysia and its volunteers
delivered sacks of rice to Orang Asal villages in Selangor, Perak and Pahang.
The overall goal of the programme is to provide 10,000kg of rice sufficient for
1,000 families; and Insaf Malaysia
is still working hard to attain this target. Other programmes include ‘Program
Kutipan Pakaian Amal Insaf Malaysia’
which falls under the WASH cluster and consists of the collection of clothes by
the organization to later be distributed to those who need them more.
Additionally, under the Food cluster, the ‘Program Berbuka Puasa Bersama
Masyarakat Orang Asal’ involved the breaking of fast with food being provided
by Insaf Malaysia.
Finally, under the Shelter cluster, repairs and upgrades of orphanages both
domestically, in Puchong, Selangor, and internationally, in Padang,
Sumatra and Semarang in Indonesia, display Insaf Malaysia’s
dedication to all walks of life anywhere in the world.
Nevertheless, despite accomplishing so much in so
little time already, it is Insaf Malaysia’s
newest campaign that is truly a momentous step for
the organization. In November 2012 Insaf Malaysia released
its newest programme called ‘Tampal Rumah’. Falling under the ‘Shelter’ cluster
of the organization, this programme was aimed at rebuilding the homes of Orang
Asal communities; particularly within the settlement of Kg. Gumum in Tasik
Chini, Pahang. Before the launch of this programme, five houses, in Kg. Gumun
were selected for both minor and major repairs as well as full reconstruction.
Although it was originally planned for the months of October, November and December,
the onset of the rainy season led to its postponement until late January; thus,
only one of the five houses chosen for repairs has been reconstructed so far.
The first project, or home, that was undertaken by Insaf Malaysia belonged to a local Orang Asal known as Robert. He is in his late
thirties and lives with his wife, three children and mother-in-law. Robert’s
main source of income comes from his job as a tour guide for Lake Cini
but due to environmental issues, both his work and income have dwindled.
Ultimately, Robert’s family home was chosen largely due to the fact that it,
among all the others, was in the worst conditions. The tagline for the mission
read “24 People, 24 Hours and 1 Home” and lead to the complete reconstruction
of Robert’s family house.
Insaf
Malaysia
collaborated with forty students – twenty boys and
twenty girls – from the Faculty of Civil Engineering of UiTM, Shah Alam to
rebuild the first home. All students were volunteers and keen on gaining
hands-on experience in both building and community work. They provided the
extra hands needed to work with the trained professionals and building
materials provided by Insaf Malaysia. Although the primary purpose of the mission was to reconstruct the home
of Robert and his family, an alternative objective was to get young people
(in this case the engineering students) involved in charity work.
Major
Anuar Mohd Tajuddin, head of the Shelter
cluster, divided the students into the aforementioned four clusters used by
Insaf Malaysia,
to guarantee a swift and most effective mission; everyone played an important
role and every helping hand made a difference. Twenty four students worked at
the site with a rotation of 6 students per shift; four did logistic work; and
finally the other three clusters namely WASH, Food and Medical, all consisted
of four students each.
In the end, the project was a complete success with
Robert and his family receiving a bigger, newer house; they even had their own
rooms within the house! Nonetheless, there is still work to be done as Insaf Malaysia hopes
to provide a generator to make up for the non-existence of electricity in the
house. This would give the children the ability to do their homework in the
evening for without, it there is no light.
On the 25th to the 27th of
January, Insaf Malaysia
has plans to continue the mission in Kg Gumun by building a second house. For
this endeavour, Insaf Malaysia
will be working with 30 students from the Institute of Engineering Malaysia
(IEM) Pulau Pinang. The head of project is Major Anuar Mohd Tajuddin and he
will apply the same cluster approach used to build Robert’s house for it proved
successful the first time around.
In conclusion, Insaf Malaysia is making an appeal for
funds from the general public, the private sector, GLC or any government body.
The funds will be used for the purchase of material, transport and logistic
expenses. Help in kind is also very welcome – wood, zinc, cement, bricks and
paint. For more information and donation call Insaf Malaysia office on 03 4251 9444 or
e-mail at insafmalaysia@ymail.com. Any and all donations are greatly
appreciated as it will help the organization work towards the many goals they
have set for the new year.
