The red crescent on a white background is a symbol most of us are very familiar with. It is synonymous with help, reliability, and hope. And that’s what the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRC) Johor Bahru chapter, which was formed in 2005, stands for. The society acts as DYMM Tuanku Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofia’s recce and support group.
The team of 8 active members has a mission to prevent and reduce the suffering of Johoreans. As a small team, they remain dedicated and use their experience to delegate tasks when disaster strikes.
When the fire disaster struck Hospital Sultanah Aminah in 2016, MRC offered their ambulance services and other assistance. They raised money to get the ICU running within three weeks. Food for the army personnel was also supplied and coordinated by the MRC team for the three months they were on duty. To date, they are still raising funds to buy medical equipment for the hospital; their most recent purchase being items for the paediatric ICU and wards.
During the toxic spillage at Sungai Kim Kim, Pasir Gudang in 2019, MRC distributed 8800 meal packs with counterparts from their headquarters, the Command Centre of Pasir Gudang and with the help from the State Secretary’s office. They also deployed medical aids and ambulance services on a 24-hour basis.
MRC also takes part in distributing food and goodie bags to the less privileged during Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Deepavali and Christmas. For four years, they have also played their part in a daily breakfast programme for the Orang Asli children in Kampung Pendas.
Lekha Nandey, a committee member of MRC Society Johor Bahru, said that they are planning to prepare their own hygiene and food kits for quick distribution or sale. Currently, they purchase these kits from their headquarters. The kits are meant to help families sustain themselves for a few days before returning to their homes during times of disasters. Food Kits contain non-perishables such as biscuits and premixed beverages. Often in emergencies, undergarments are not included even though it is an essential item in one’s daily hygiene – the Hygiene Kit will contain such items.
“Red Crescent is here, there, everywhere!” said Lekha jokingly, although we truly do identify their logo as a universal symbol for humanitarian aid.
