Al-Muhajirien Social Fund Distributes 350 Essential Food Packages Worth IDR 138 Million to Residents of Lidi Village, One of the Closest Areas to the NTT Earthquake Epicenter

Bekasi, September 22, 2026 — Al-Muhajirien Social Fund (ASF), the social welfare unit of Yayasan Waqaf Al-Muhajirien Jakapermai, distributed IDR 138,042,524 in humanitarian assistance in the form of 350 essential food packages to residents of Lidi Village, Palue District, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), from September 9 to 15, 2026. Lidi Village is one of the areas closest to the epicenter of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck NTT on August 15, 2026, and is among the most difficult villages to access on Palue Island. The humanitarian aid was funded by donations from schools, congregants, and the foundation’s stakeholders.

The earthquake that struck NTT on August 15, 2026, was recorded as one of the major disasters to have caused widespread impact across the region. According to data from Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as of September 8, 2026, the earthquake had claimed 135 lives, comprising 48 deaths resulting from direct impacts and 87 from indirect impacts. A total of 70,382 residents remained displaced, while 98,986 houses were damaged, including 28,089 that sustained severe damage. In addition to residential damage, 712 educational facilities, 157 healthcare facilities, and 663 government and office facilities were also affected.

Palue Island, which administratively encompasses the entire Palue District and consists of eight villages, was identified as one of the areas closest to the earthquake’s epicenter. Lidi Village, one of the district’s eight villages, is among the most remote settlements on the island and was therefore one of the last areas to receive post-earthquake assistance.

“To reach Lidi Village, we flew from Jakarta and transited in Makassar before arriving in Maumere. From there, we traveled by road to the port, then took a large boat for about five hours to Palue Island, arriving at Kesokoja Village. We then had to take a smaller boat for another hour to reach Lidi Village. It is one of the most remote villages on Palue Island,” said Fajar Ismail, a representative of the Al-Muhajirien Social Fund team who led the humanitarian mission.

“Residents there use untreated seawater for their daily bathing needs, while electricity is only available on a rotating basis. The impact of the earthquake has made access to the village even more difficult, causing aid to arrive later than in other affected areas,” he added.

The three-member ASF team, comprising Fajar Ismail, Aji, and Huda, began its journey on September 9, 2026, traveling from Jakarta to Maumere via Makassar. Upon arrival in Maumere, the team conducted initial coordination at Universitas Muhammadiyah Maumere, followed by two days of purchasing supplies and preparing the aid packages.

On September 11, 2026, the team proceeded to Maumere Port for the sea crossing to Kesokoja Village on Palue Island, before continuing by small boat to Lidi Village. The aid was distributed to residents in three stages from September 12 to 14, 2026, alongside community clean-up activities carried out together with local residents. The humanitarian mission concluded with a communal prayer on September 14, before the team returned by sea to Maumere and departed for Jakarta on September 15, 2026.

The essential food and relief packages contained rice, sugar, cooking oil, yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, soy sauce, eucalyptus oil, and tarpaulins. The contents were selected to address the basic needs of earthquake-affected residents as well as the geographical conditions of the village, where access to essential supplies remains limited.

The distribution of humanitarian assistance to Lidi Village is part of a series of social initiatives carried out by ASF under Yayasan Waqaf Al-Muhajirien Jakapermai. In July 2026, as part of the foundation’s 41st anniversary celebrations, ASF organized free cataract surgeries in collaboration with Juwita Hospital Bekasi. In addition, during Ramadan 1446 AH, ASF, together with Masjid Jami' Al-Azhar Jakapermai and Muslimat Al-Muhajirien, distributed 1,000 essential food packages to residents in communities surrounding the Jakapermai area in Bekasi.

Al-Muhajirien Social Fund is a social welfare organization under Yayasan Waqaf Al-Muhajirien Jakapermai that manages and distributes zakat, infaq, sadaqah, and waqf (ZISWAF) funds through a range of programs, including education, healthcare, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and community empowerment initiatives in Jakapermai, Bekasi, and other regions across Indonesia.

 

Yayasan Waqaf Al-Muhajirien Jakapermai
Jl. Cemara Raya No. 43–45, RT.006/RW.006A
Jakasampurna, South Bekasi District
Bekasi City, West Java 17145, Indonesia

Telephone: (021) 8843242
Public Relations WhatsApp: 0813-6688-8806
Email: info@muhajirien.org
Website: muhajirien.org