Helper flies out on mission to comfort quake victims
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Muslim new year "holy day" - or Eid ul-Fitr - is supposed to be a happy occasion for many Indonesians. But for domestic helper Wiwin Warsiating, it will be spent helping disaster victims in her native Sumatra and Java.
Warsiating, 31, is flying to Jakarta today to catch the last week of Eid ul-Fitr with her aging mother and siblings. Part of her month-long vacation will be spent volunteering for rebuilding work in West Java and Sumatra, struck by the September 30 earthquake that triggered a tsunami in central Sumatra.
Warsiating was among hundreds of Indonesians who joined Gebyar Eid ul-Fitr 2009 (Celebrate Holy Day) in Victoria Park yesterday for a celebration of cultural solidarity to help rebuild Sumatra.
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About HK$8,000 was donated from hard-earned savings, said Eni Lestari, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Hong Kong.
Warsiating said Sumatra is dear to her heart because it is her birthplace. Her family moved to West Java, about three hours by bus from Surabaya airport, after her father died when she was two.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Diocese launched a second round of collections for disaster victims - including those hit by deadly typhoons in the Philippines - at all churches yesterday.
Last Sunday's campaign collected HK$53,000, which was sent to the Caritas Philippines through Caritas Hong Kong.
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