In February 2007, after a flood that caused people to suffer tremendous losses, fellow initiates delivered fresh food materials including vegetables, tempeh and tofu to the Red Cross kitchens located in Central and West Jakarta. In West Jakarta, the water in places was extremely high, so the Red Cross personnel used a rubber boat to come and pick up the vegetables. We also distributed Alternative Living flyers to the passers-by.

In Warakas, Tanjung Priok, one of the seriously affected areas in North Jakarta, we delivered basic necessities such as rice, instant noodles, milk powder, mineral water and baby food. Almost 150 families with family members totaling around 700 had to leave their homes to stay at a nearby elementary school. They greeted us happily with smiling faces and were very excited to receive our packages. While waiting to unload and distribute the food, initiates with rolled-up pants walked through water on the road to distribute Alternative Living flyers to the flood victims.

The day after visiting Warakas, we went to Ciledug, Tangerang, to distribute 500 packages of basic necessities. During that time, the area was not accessible so we handed the relief aid to the area representatives.

Due to the high number of flood victims and limited available resources, it was impossible to evacuate everyone. Thus, many of the victims had to stay in their flooded homes. The conditions there were such that they were unable to cook, so to relieve this situation, we decided to prepare cooked meals as much as we can. Using a sister initiate’s house as our ‘emergency kitchen base’ and with some initiates also volunteering to prepare cooked foods at home, we managed to deliver almost 1,000 packages of cooked food daily to the flood victims in the severely affected areas of Semanan and Rawa Buaya, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, and Teluk Gong of North Jakarta.

The relief items we brought amounted to IDR 31,884,000 (US$3,542). We could feel that Master’s infinite love filled the hearts of the flood victims in their difficult times.

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