Representatives of DRPM ITS, IKA ITS, and YMI ITS during the process of loading goods to be distributed to post-disaster areas in Aceh Tamiang

ITS Campus, ITS News — Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) has again distributed follow-up aid to several post-disaster areas in Aceh Tamiang. Through a collaboration between the Directorate of Research and Community Service (DRPM) with the ITS Alumni Association (IKA) and the ITS Manarul Ilmi Foundation (YMI), the aid was distributed through the ITS Humanitarian Task Force, which focuses on the recovery of worship facilities, educational facilities, and sanitation in the affected areas in Aceh.

Director of Research and Community Service at ITS, Fadlilatul Taufany ST PhD, revealed that the success of the initial stage of aid distribution had encouraged more affected sectors to request follow-up support from ITS. Responding to this, ITS conducted direct surveys on facilities that suffered severe damage to verify the level of urgency for aid in the field. “Currently, ITS is distributing aid for worship facilities and educational infrastructure that were affected,” he added.

As a follow-up effort for the affected regions, the lecturer, who is often addressed as Taufany, revealed that ITS is currently distributing the third wave of aid focusing on the restoration of mosques. This effort targets five mosques with the heaviest level of damage. “ITS has renovated one of the most severely damaged mosques, namely the An-Nur mosque in Aceh Tamiang, and will be followed by four other mosques which are still in the data collection stage,” he stated.

In addition to the renovation of worship facilities, the lecturer from the ITS Chemical Engineering Department mentioned that ITS also distributed aid for religious equipment in the form of 300 prayer veils (mukena), 300 Qurans, and 300 prayer mats distributed to mosques in Aceh Tamiang. This aid is expected to support the recovery of the community’s religious activities post-disaster.

ITS DRPM Director Fadlilatul Taufany ST PhD (right) with the Head of the ITS Community Service Sub-directorate Prof Dr Nurul Jadid SSi MSc while presenting the aid report

In line with Taufany, ITS IKA representative Budiono added that aid would also be centered on the recovery of the education sector, specifically for elementary school (SD) age children. The prepared aid includes 300 packages of bags and stationery, as well as other learning support packages. “This aid is so that children can immediately get proper learning facilities,” said the man who is commonly known as Budiono Sukses.

Not only that, he conveyed that the ITS Humanitarian Task Force will also conduct well cleaning and water sanitation recovery to restore access to clean water for households and public facilities. Sanitation recovery is carried out by distributing water purifiers that are easy to use in areas where access to clean water is difficult. “Furthermore, ITS will also provide piping capable of channeling clean water from water sources in the highlands,” he added.

The process of dispatching post-disaster humanitarian aid from ITS to be sent to areas in Aceh Tamiang

On the same occasion, ITS Vice Rector IV for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Alumni, Prof. Agus Muhamad Hatta ST MSi PhD, explained that the humanitarian aid distributed by ITS also involves various strategic partners. Among them are the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) RI, the Indonesian Motor Association (IMI), and TNI troops. To date, the ITS Humanitarian Task Force has successfully collected funds amounting to Rp 210,534,330 from the ITS academic community, with total funds distributed reaching Rp 149,920,780.

Through this series of aid distributed in stages, the Engineering Physics professor who is usually addressed as Hatta hopes that ITS can contribute sustainably to accelerating the recovery of the social, educational, and religious sectors of the community in Aceh. This effort simultaneously affirms ITS’s role as a higher education institution that not only excels in the development of science and technology but also contributes concretely to humanitarian action and community service.

The ITS Engineering Physics alumnus added that this effort not only accelerates the recovery of social, educational, and religious sectors but also contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in points 4, 6, and 11. This aid can help achieve quality education as well as the recovery of access to clean water and proper sanitation. “We also hope to help the recovery of post-disaster regions to support sustainable settlements,” he concluded. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: Hani Aqilah Safitri