| James Kon |
THE Brunei Darussalam Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) held a distribution of donated items at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium yesterday, for the victims of a recent fire which destroyed 24 houses in Kampong Ayer.
Ten affected families received daily necessities in the form of water, dried food, rice and instant noodles through the BDRCS’s ‘Ikhlas 4.0’ project, following an outpouring of contributions from the public.
The remaining families will receive the donated items in another distribution ceremony today.
One of the fire victims, Nazibah, told the Bulletin, “Despite losing everything in the fire, I feel so blessed that many Bruneians are providing us with assistance.”
Nazibah, who is currently staying with her uncle, was reduced to tears when she learned that a large section of the local community turned up to give donations to the fire victims.
“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has helped us during this difficult time, including non-go-vernmental organisations (NGOs) and government agencies such as JAPEM,” she said. “This shows that the people of Brunei are very kind and helpful.”
One of the fire victims collecting the donated items. – JAMES KON
On the recent mishap, she said, “We lost everything in the fire. But I really miss the heirlooms from my late father, who passed away last year.”
She added, “I still think about that wooden house where my family has stayed for generations. We cherish the memories of the times spent at that house, and those times are all gone now.”
Nazibah is currently searching for her 20 cats that went missing during the fire, and hopes that they are still alive.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Akbal Adi Yusa bin Haji Md Yusuf, the Head of Disaster Management and Climate Change at the BDRCS, told the Bulletin, “We managed to collect more than 500 bottles of water and more than 100 sacks of rice, as well as other daily essentials, in just three days.”
The overwhelming response from the public, he said “demonstrates the Bruneian people’s willingness to help others in times of difficulty”.
He added, “We are distributing the donated items in portions, because the affected families do not have a permanent home yet, where they can store those goods. We would also like to thank the donors for their contributions to the fire victims.”
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