VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - Palestinian Americans and aid groups in the United States are raising funds for Gaza, which faces a deepening humanitarian crisis as the Israel-Hamas war enters its fourth week - but they have as yet limited ability to get supplies into the besieged enclave.

Aid organizations that serve civilians in Gaza say they are receiving record amounts of donations in a sign of public support for relief efforts even as a growing stock of supplies remain stalled at Egypt's Rafah border crossing.

In the Gaza Strip, where 2.3 million people live, civilians are in dire need of clean water, food and medicine, emergency medics say. Half of Gaza's population was already living in poverty before the crisis.

"We've seen a significant increase in donations, unlike we've ever seen before," said Steve Sosebee, president of the U.S.-based Palestine Children's Relief Fund, which has a staff of 40 in Gaza that provide medical support. He said the fund, which usually has an annual budget of around $12 million, had raised $15 million in just 10 days.

However, with a web of political and logistical obstacles on getting aid in, much of the money and supplies intended for Gaza is in limbo, forcing aid groups to wait as they amass truckloads of goods.

Hamas militants burst over the Gaza border and rampaged through Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people and taking 229 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. In response, Israel launched its most intense air bombardment campaign on the tiny enclave, along with a "total siege," banning food, water and fuel imports.

Aid groups say they are building up supplies in hopes of eventually getting them through to civilians in Gaza, nearly half of whom are children.

There has been "a five-fold increase in the total number of donors versus typical past emergencies," said Derek Madsen, chief development officer of Anera, a nonpartisan emergency relief group for refugees throughout the Middle East. The organization, which maintains the privacy of individual donors, said it had recently received the largest single donation from an individual in its 55-year-old history.

The majority of support comes from donors based in the United States, he added, with individual donations averaging around $138. The efforts mirror those of Jewish groups in the U.S. and Canada who also fundraised millions for Israel.

Anera was using the last of its stocks this week to distribute meals and vegetable parcels in Gaza. Its staff of 12, like everyone in Gaza, were facing "unbelievable, unimaginable trauma," he said.

GLUED TO THE TELEVISION

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Rabia Shafie, national director of the Palestine Aid Society, said her group was speaking to student and Muslim groups on local university campuses and community centers to spread awareness and raise donations for the Red Crescent and UNRWA, the UN aid agency that serves Palestinian refugees.

"The money is needed to help people survive at this point of time. Medical support is so essential," she said.

"People are glued to the television ... watching the news moment to moment and very stressed out over the situation," said Shafie, adding that it was difficult as a Palestinian American to watch "the massacre and injustice done to our people back home."

Hamas-governed Gaza is one of the most densely packed places on earth and its medical authorities say over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed since airstrikes began, including more than 3,000 children.

Anera's Madsen called for a ceasefire and establishment of a humanitarian corridor "so that people literally do not starve to death, literally do not die of dehydration."

Last week, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, home to one of New York's largest Muslim and Arab communities, hundreds of protesters called for a ceasefire with signs written in Arabic, Spanish, Hebrew and Korean.

In Clifton, New Jersey, the Palestinian American Community Center's priority is advocating for U.S. officials to support a ceasefire and for the hundreds of Americans trapped in Gaza, said Basma Bsharat, the education director of the center.

The center has also been collecting cash donations to send on to UNRWA. It has asked people not to donate supplies, which it has no easy way of sending to those in need in Gaza.

Last week, a woman came to the center anyway, hauling bags filled with goods.

"We didn't know how to say no," said Bsharat. "She was like, I just want to do something. I just want to help somehow."

"It's a very difficult time, and the fact that we do see the support coming in it, it gives some relief," she said. "It gives some kind of solace." (Reuters)

VOI, Jakarta - The Ministry of Health has reported that based on the domicile of patients, monkeypox (mpox) cases are spread across Jakarta, Banten, and West Java.

"As of today, additional 3 new cases have been recorded, all in Jakarta," Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the ministry, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said while confirming the report here on Tuesday.

The additional cases have increased the number of mpox cases detected in Indonesia to 27 as of Tuesday.

According to the daily report issued by the Ministry of Health, as of October 29, at least 24 mpox cases had been recorded in the country.

Jakarta has registered 18 cases — 9 in South Jakarta, 5 in West Jakarta, 3 in East Jakarta, and 1 in North Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Banten has reported 5 infections: 2 in Tangerang district, 2 in South Tangerang city, and 1 in Tangerang city. As for West Java, only 1 case has been detected in Bandung city.

All the patients are men aged 25 to 48 years, and most also have HIV/AIDS.

Rondonuwu stated that his ministry is continuing to carry out tracing efforts to identify new cases.

"Tracing efforts are getting better. Currently, there are 21 suspected cases awaiting laboratory confirmation results," he informed.

He noted that so far, the Ministry of Health has classified 44 suspects as discarded or not related to mpox.

He said that to handle mpox, the Ministry of Health has made several surveillance efforts. The ministry has also conducted vaccinations since October 23 for the key population, with the total targeted recipients pegged at 477.

Furthermore, the ministry is cooperating with several parties in carrying out risk communication to curb the transmission of mpox in the country.

He also emphasized the importance of implementing a clean and healthy lifestyle as well as ensuring safe sexual activities.(Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo has said that the Aquabike Jetski World Championship at Lake Toba from November 22–26 could stimulate the development of the water sports industry in Indonesia.

"This event is being held based on the Grand Design of National Sports (DBON) and as part of efforts to develop sports tourism, which is an important instrument for improving the local economy," Ariotedjo informed at a press conference here on Tuesday.

The championship is expected to encourage the growth of local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), he added.

"We will involve all (elements) in district/city because this is a national event and each district must be involved," he said.

This is the first time that the jetski racing championship is being held at Lake Toba, and its implementation will involve four districts surrounding the lake — Toba, Karo, Dairi, and Samosir.

Ariotedjo said that the championship is an important opportunity whose potential must be maximized by local governments. The racing event could boost the promotion of Lake Toba tourism internationally, he explained.

He noted that this year's F1 Powerboat (F1H2O) World Championship on February 24–26 generated economic impacts, such as filling up hotel rooms, increasing flights and tourist visits via Silangit Airport, as well as opening new jobs for the local community.

Minister Ariotedjo said he is optimistic that the Aquabike Jetski World Championship will be as successful as the F1 Powerboat Championship at Lake Toba.

"We will focus on this opportunity and how to maximize it so that the local communities are involved and prioritized for the economic benefits," he said.(Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi discussed cooperation in a number of sectors, including green investment, with Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot during a bilateral meeting here on Tuesday.

In a joint press conference after the meeting, Marsudi said that the Netherlands is the largest European investor in Indonesia, which has invested more than US$15.5 billion since 2013, with an annual average increase of 15.8 percent.

The Netherlands has also been one of the European countries committed to supporting the energy transition in Indonesia, she noted.

"And in the future, Indonesia hopes to strengthen cooperation (with the Netherlands) to develop the semiconductor industry ecosystem in Indonesia," she added.

Marsudi praised the Dutch government's commitment to supporting the energy transition, promoting sustainability, and strengthening cooperation in developing sustainable ports, the shipbuilding industry, as well as solar and wind power plants in Indonesia.

At the press conference, the minister also announced the 2024–2025 action plan for a comprehensive partnership between Indonesia and the Netherlands.

This action plan will serve as a road map for the continuation of partnership and collaboration between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Minister Slot said that the Netherlands has proposed an investment grant of 105 million euros to support sustainable development in Indonesia.

The grant is part of a €300 million cooperation program between the Dutch and Indonesian governments in partnership with Dutch financial institution Invest International.

Slot informed that the program includes loans that will support sustainable and inclusive initiatives in sectors relevant to Dutch expertise, such as climate and energy, agriculture and food, healthcare, water, and infrastructure.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the Netherlands' investment in Indonesia reached US$1.22 billion in 2022.

Dutch investment in Indonesia includes the Frisian Flag dairy factory in East Java and a terminal in Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta.(Antaranews)