MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – Muhammadiyah has delivered humanitarian assistance to disaster survivors in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra through a response that is structured, systematic and large in scale.
The approach was outlined by dr. Agus Taufiqurrahman, Chairperson of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah as he explained the organization’s action to support communities affected by recent disasters.
“Muhammadiyah operates under a unified mechanism known as One Muhammadiyah One Response. The Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) takes the lead, supported by council, departments, autonomous organizations, and we move together as one,” dr. Agus said in Jakarta on Friday (12/12).
In the initial phase, Muhammadiyah focused on emergency response efforts in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra. This stage involves consolidating volunteers and deploying them to the three affected provinces.
Volunteer deployment has been carefully scheduled to ensure continuity of services. As a result, the response has involved not only volunteers from the affected provinces, but also personnel from other regions across Indonesia.
Among those deployed are health professionals, including medical teams from Muhammadiyah affiliated hospitals in Jakarta, Central Java, and East Java.
“At present, volunteer teams and hospital based medical personnel are already on the ground providing services, and deployments will continue on a rotating schedule. We estimate that the emergency response phase will last until mid-January.” dr. Agus said.
Given the extended duration of the response, he added, volunteer scheduling is essential to maintain service quality while ensuring that the physical and emotional well-being of volunteers remains strong.
Muhammadiyah Calls on the Community to Contribute through Friday Donations
The Central Board of Muhammadiyah has also called on all members of the community to help ease the suffering of disaster survivors in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra by contributing through Friday prayer donations.
This initiative aims to accelerate the emergency response, ensuring that survivors’ urgent needs, including recovery in other sectors, can be addressed promptly.
The call to collect Friday donations has received strong support from Muhammadiyah mosque administrators across the country, with some mosques committing to fundraising efforts for up to three consecutive Fridays.
The collected funds will be distributed not only during the emergency response phase but also during the reconstruction period. During the emergency phase, however, assistance will be prioritized for logistics and health services.
“Going forward, we will also carry out empowerment programs for our brothers and sisters who have been affected,” dr. Agus said. “When the government, through the National Disaster Management Agency, facilitates the return of communities to their villages, Muhammadiyah will be present to strengthen psychosocial recovery. We will even deploy community empowerment teams.”
dr. Agus emphasized that all funds collected will be managed with integrity and transparency, including orderly administration and reporting, and will be used strictly for their intended humanitarian purposes.
The funds will be collected by Lazismu, Muhammadiyah’s philanthropic body, and managed through the One Muhammadiyah One Response framework, MDMC and related units. All donations will be fully allocated to disaster survivors in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. (Bintang Adrian)
