Volunteering at Merapi

N.A. Isckandar (left) with the other volunteers and Al- Qodir Community in Kinahrejo

Sleman – Yogyakarta, “it was the biggest eruption along the years.” N.A Isckandar (28) said “On October, 26^th 2010 the biggest disaster felt by people in Kinahrejo where Mbah Marijan as Juru kunci (The Guardian of Merapi) lived”. He explained Kinahrejo’s condition after the Dreadfulness of the eruption. He said that from this disaster many victims were massive buried, and most of them lost their home and family. He added that now they live in shelter to flee.

As the volunteer Isckandar helped people to evacuate people from this disaster, “the dangerous pyroclastic flow and ash rain makes the victims fear because they brings bad effect for health, such as the ash rain can make breathless and if the particle contaminated eyes, it can irritate. The condition was dangerous so they should be brought to another place to evacuate”.

His heart was knocked by looking the disaster, it was the time he decided to be a volunteer to help people and he joined Al-Qodir Community. “I think that it is our time to help them because they need to be saved”. Together with this community he act vigorously help the victim of Merapi. In shelter, he and another volunteers allotted mask to keep breath for people, he also help to distribute food, medicines, clothes, etc. to victim from benefactors.  He continued to tell about the condition, “It is serious, they are bleeding, and they hurt by the condition, many of death victims, and they are buried in the same hole, and it is hard to think of”.

“Many children cries because they lose their family, they lose their home, school and they fear about what was happened they don’t know what will they do” Isckandar describe the situation in that place “then some of the victim does not want to evacuated with the reason of keep their domestic animals and their home” he added “some of them still think that they will save, it difficult to us to give them the notion of the dangerous but they ignore us”. He tells that it needs a braveness to face it and they should take the risk because as the volunteer they also need to be saved.

From this moment, he learns that God always gave positive message in every disaster, “I realize that eruption makes me more helpful to each other, and I also can feel how their life will be continuing.” He added “There are many lesson that I can get as a volunteer, such as togetherness, sadness, and how to keep alive, and also Thank God we still have a chance to alive”.