Global Peace Malaysia on fact-finding mission to Darfur’s Sudan
By Santha Oorjitham
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13, 2004 (Bernama) — Global Peace Malaysia (GPM) leaders will head to Sudan on Oct 18 for a 10-day fact-finding mission to identify relief projects.
Manager Shirajuddin Sirat and Director (volunteers & infrastructure) Azlan Muhammad Shariff, of the coalition of 78 Malaysian non-governmental organisations (NGOs), will also bring US$5,000 with them for a food programme for a yet-to-be identified orphanage southern Darfur region.
In what the United Nations has described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, 50,000 people have died and 1.5 million have been displaced in Darfur over the past 18 months as Janjaweed militia destroyed villages in their campaign against local rebels.
Shirajuddin told Bernama Wednesday that GPM hopes to set up clinics and schools in the refugee camps, replicating its projects in Afghanistan.
They may also assist in water supply, tapping their experience in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
He said: “We really hope to succeed in getting the right information to help the victims of war in Sudan, especially Darfur.
“We want to look and assess for ourselves what is happening, and see exactly how we can help. We can’t do everything, but we hope to do projects in our area of expertise.”
The First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, Kamal Jubara, said: “We are glad that this organisation has joined Sudan in the relief work and we encourage them.
“We are ready to give them information and to help make their work successful.”
GPM, which was set up in 2001, works closely with local NGOs.
In Darfur, Shirajuddin said, they would be cooperating with Sudan-based ISRA International (Islamic Relief Agency International) as well as Sudan’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, after meeting its under secretary, Abdel Rahman Ab Doom, at a conference in Kuala Lumpur in August.
In Afghanistan, for example, GPM set up three schools in refugee camps run by three Malaysians for the past couple years.
Now, the Malaysians have returned and the schools are managed by locals.
“They run them on a day-to-day basis and we go to check,” the manager explained. “That keeps the operating costs down.”
GPM also provided labour for the construction of a dam in Dehbala, Jalalabad, in Afghanistan, which was sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Azlan said, and dug a well in Puttalam in western Sri Lanka.
GPM is also organising an “Iftar Ramadan for Needy” programme locally.
With a RM10 donation, Azlan said, Malaysians can sponsor breaking of fast for five people.
Donations can be made to the GPM office (Tel 03-61888409) or directly to the Global Peace Malaysia account 14-023-01-002922-4 with Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd.