Last weekend (27/10), the Jabodetabek COVID-19 emergency response team from Plan International Indonesia Foundation (Plan Indonesia) distributed aid packages in the form of Cash Voucher Assistance (CVA) to the community impacted by the pandemic at Mekarjaya Subdistrict, Depok. The aid was symbolically administered by Nasrus Syukroni, Emergency Response Specialist from Plan International Indonesia Foundation to Head of Mekarjaya Subdistrict, Zainal Arifin. The aid will then be delivered to 145 residents who have been surveyed and categorized as the program recipient.
“We appreciate this aid, because the people think this aid is very useful,” Zainal Arifin said.
In two years of the pandemic, Mekarjaya Subdistrict was once recorded as the area with the highest number of people exposed to COVID-19 in Depok. Zainal Arifin said that the local government continued to educate 80,000 residents who live in 31 community units (RW) to be more disciplined in carrying out health protocols. The local government had also conducted routine disinfectant spraying on the first five months of the pandemic. The village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa), community units (RW), neighborhood units (RW), youth organizations (Karang Taruna), public figures, and the police all worked together to create detailed community data, distributed social aids from the government and performed door-to-door vaccination programs for 60,000 residents of Mekarjaya.
The Head of RW 01 Mekarjaya, Rohendi Budiana, also represented his community and extended his gratitude for the social aid. Even though, he thought, it came a bit late.
“At the moment the pandemic has become an endemic. Our next anticipation is the people impacted (by the pandemic), especially those who have lost their job. Of course they really need some help. That’s why (in that context), the social aid is right on target. In the future we hope Plan will also consider other issues like the development of human resources, especially for the young people here,” explained Rohendi Budiana.
The distribution of Cash Voucher Assistance (CVA) for Jabodetabek COVID-19 emergency response of Plan Indonesia covered three subdistricts in Depok, which are Tugu Subdistrict (188 recipients), Pancoran Mas Subdistrict (68 recipients), Sukamaju Subdistrict (98 recipients), and Mekarjaya Subdistrict (145 recipients). Each recipient received CVA worth IDR 600,000, which can be used to purchase goods at appointed grocery stores.
The CVA distribution to the recipients at Mekarjaya Subdistrict marked the end of Jabodetabek COVID-19 emergency response project, which has been running since July 2021. The project aimed to support the protection, health, and welfare of children, especially girls, who were impacted by COVID-19, self-isolating with family members exposed to COVID-19, and those who experienced violence during the pandemic in the past two years. The aid was focused on 1000 children from the age of 0-18 years old (500 girls, 500 boys), 500 families in Jabodetabek so they can avoid COVID-19 exposure and ensure the fulfillment of children’s rights, especially girls, children with disabilities, and children from weak-economy families.
In the opportunity, Plan Indonesia also shared several goody bags for young people in Karang Taruna of Mekarjaya Subdistrict as a form of support for their activity to commemorate the Youth Pledge Day on November 16.
As a response to the pandemic, Plan Indonesia has conducted a COVID-19 emergency response at Jabodetabek, focusing on meeting the needs of children and young people, especially girls. The humanitarian aid is targeted to reach 1000 children from the age of 0-18 years old, consisting of 500 marginalized girls and 500 marginalized boys living in Jabodetabek area. Through the COVID-19 emergency response, Plan Indonesia hopes to protect the children from the spread of COVID-19 and fulfill the children’s rights, especially for girls, children with disabilities, and marginalized families. (***)
Writer: Ciptanti Putri | Editor: Agus Haru
