NATURAL disasters and wars always move people of all levels including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) to lend a helping hand. Many NGOs willingly offer help to those in need regardless of cultural, racial, religious or national boundaries.

Yayasan Amal Malaysia (AMAL) is one of the NGOs actively involved in carrying out humanitarian aid efforts and missionary work in this country.
 
AMAL’s Establishment

AMAL which was established on 30 May 2001 is an NGO registered under the Registrar of Societies and consists of volunteers from all over the country.
  
These volunteers include people of various professional backgrounds including doctors, paramedics, engineers, accountants and teachers.

To this day, AMAL has given welfare and humanitarian assistance including medical services in many missions including the earthquakes in Ban Iran, the Kashmir region in Pakistan, West Java and Jogjakarta in Indonesia as well as the tsunami in Acheh and Lubnan war.
 
AMAL Selangor
 
AMAL Selangor Branch Chairman, Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi, is of the opinion that AMAL volunteers in this state are among those who have been most involved in relief missions.

He said, besides being comprised of volunteers with professional backgrounds, the foundation is also open to volunteers from ordinary members of the public.

“Our aim is to give welfare and medical assistence, therefore we hope more volunteers from different fields will join AMAL,”  he said when met recently.

He said, in the humanitarian missions that had been carried out, volunteers would contribute their ideas and energy in helping those who had been beset by hardfalls.

“For instance after the tsunami in Acheh, we helped to build mosques and orphanages after receiving various design ideas from our engineers,” he said.

Dr Ahmad Yunus who is Sijangkang State Assemblyman said AMAL also built houses and temporary schools while carrying out their missions.

He said, besides helping the victims of natural disasters and war, AMAL Selangor was also involved in welfare missions in Cambodia. 
 
“We hold these programmes every year-end where we organise circumcision and korban programmes there. To date about 30 cows have been slaughtered,” he said.

Besides humanitarian missions in other countries, they also lend assistance during natural disasters such as floods and storms within the country.  Among these include floods in Shah Alam, landslides in Ampang dan Selayang, storms in Sungai Besar dan the Klang Straits and floods in Johor and Kedah.
 
He added the AMAL’s Selangor Branch also held missionary programmes and health services. Among them include the residents of Pulau Ketam.
 
Besides that, AMAL also conducts missionary programmes in Sabah and Sarawak.
 
“We also send students from those states to undergo religious studies in ‘pondok’ schools in Kedah and Kelantan,” he said.
 
He hopes that the Selangor Branch of AMAL which now has almost 150 members can attract more volunteers.
 
“Our aim is to attract more volunteers. It is not just a matter of numbers because we want them to be involved in the missions we carry out,” he said.

AMAL appreciates Selangor’s assistance

The Selangor State Government recently announced that it would be sending humanitarian missions to Palestine through AMAL after recent developments which saw hundreds of innocent civillians falling prey to Israeli cruelty.

The humanitarian mission which began on January 14 was lead by AMAL Vice President, Dr Abd Rani Osman who is also State Assemblyman for Meru.
 
The first mission which is expected to end on January 20, also include Dr Ahmad Yunus, AMAL Deputy President, Jamuliddin Elias, AMAL Chairman, Husin Ismail dan a reporter from Harakah Daily.
 
Dr Abd Rani said the Selangor state government had given RM500,000 and AMAL would then channel the funds to several of its future missions.

He said, in this first mission AMAL would identify the forms of assistance that the Palestinians need.

“Even though we have been told not to enter the Gaza province, I will still try to get as near as possible to enable the funds to go through. We have also brought with us six boxes of medication and will identify other forms of assistance that is needed there,” he said when contacted.

He sometimes hoped the humanitarian missions given by so many different countries, would help open the eyes of the world’s major powers to help put an end to Israeli cruelty.

“We also hope that the Gaza borders will be opened to enable humanitarian assistance to be channelled to the people,” he said.

Dr Abd Rani also hoped that Malaysians would always be thankful for the country’s current peace and unity.

“There is no need to be divided because as long as we are united we can avoid all social illnesses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Ahmad Yunus thanked the state government for its contribution for the humanitarian mission to Palestine.
 
He said the first humanitarian mission was prepared to give medical assistance to the people of Palestine given such uncertain circumstances.

Besides hoping for financial assistance from the public, he hoped Malaysians would continue to pray for the cruelty inflicted on the Palestinians to end.

Those who are interested in volunteering can contact AMAL Selangor Branch at No 12 Jalan 6, Taman Mesra, Batu 13, Jalan Cheras, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, or call 03-87373909, or log on to http://www.amalmalaysia.net for more information.- NOOR ALLIA KASSIM

(Financial contributions can be done through Bank Muamalat account no: 12020001711713 or Maybank : 562106222825)