My second lead story (New Sunday Times, Jan 22)

ARMED FORCES' MISSION TO HELP AFGHANS REBUILD LIVES

Because it has an established organisation and a chain of command, the military is always the first choice of the authorities in responding to emergencies and disasters.

Other than disaster operations, our troops have also been deployed abroad, namely in Lebanon, Afghanistan and Mindanao in the Philippines.

Malaysia is also setting a modern benchmark by sending our female soldiers to serve the frontline in educating the women in Afghanistan on maternal health and midwifery.

However, according to Brig-Gen Datuk Dr Samsudin Suirman from the military's Joint Force Headquarters health department J9, the MAF will only provide assistance when there is a request by the foreign governments and after being approved by the cabinet.

"MAF does not send its team to any country without a request. All our missions abroad are on a government-to-government basis or via the United Nation's Mission."

In July 2010, under the operational command of the Malcon-ISAF (the Malaysian Contingent for International Security Assistance Forces), a contingent comprising of medical personnel from the Royal Malaysian Medical and Dental Corp, which includes a command, administration and security elements, was sent to several remote districts in Afghanistan.

The contingent, which is managed by the Joint Forces Command (JFC) headquarters at the Defence Ministry, Kuala Lumpur, works closely with the Afghan's Ministry of Public Health (MOPH).

"The Afghan government invited the MAF to provide humanitarian services in Central Bamyan, Yadkawlang, Waras and Panjab.

"We are there solely to provide medical and humanitarian services, not as part of the coalition forces.

"Our mission in Afghanistan is different from other missions that the JFC headquarters manages.

"Other than the core services of medical and dental health, the joint force team, comprising the Malaysian army, navy and air force, also holds various programmes to help the community in capacity building and institutional development."

According to Major Dr Mohd Arshil Moideen, head of the public health team of Malcon2-ISAF, the MAF initially provided medical and dental services, and some medical training.

After the United States announced that it would pull its forces from Afghanistan by 2014, the Malaysian team decided to shift its mission to capacity building.

"We decided to help the community to stand on their own feet. We also act as an adviser to the MOPH in terms of health governance.

"When we first arrived in Afghanistan, we came up with an observation report, which was the first ever report on the country over the problems in the health sector.

"We identified the health needs and developed a three-year action plan until 2014 to help the community identify its problems and ways to solve them," says Arshil, who is a clinical epidemiologist.

He adds that the Malcon-ISAF team, which currently comprises 40 medical personnel, carries out various activities, but the milestone project was collaborating with MOPH in field water safety and testing, and constructing a water filtration system to enable the community to have safe drinking water.

On sending our female soldiers to Afghanistan, Arshil says the presence of MAF women soldiers helps the Afghan women to open up and reveal the problems faced by them and their children more comfortably.

"Afghanistan has the world's highest maternity mortality rate, and in Bamyan, where there is little or no proper road and communication access, it can take up to three days of travelling for these women to seek medical help.

"So, we plan to set up maternity homes at several locations in the province for these women, especially those with higher risk for delivery complications, to stay over close to the hospital until they give birth."

Indeed, there have been misconceptions on the presence of the armed forces in a foreign country such as Afghanistan, which has been torn by war and conflict for more than 40 years.

But as Samsudin puts it, the Malaysian troops are there for a "different kind of battle".

"Our men and women are there as a partner for peace and stability.

"We are on a mission to help, to the best of our resources and capacity, in the institutional development of the country. It is our contribution as fellow human beings."

Read more: Armed forces’ mission to help Afghans rebuild lives - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/armed-forces-mission-to-help-afghans-rebuild-lives-1.38605#ixzz1lP8W1pWh

My article on Malaysian humanitarian aid as appeared on New Sunday Times (Jan 22, 2012):

GIVING AID WHERE IT'S NEEDED MOST

IN 1999, moved by the plight of women and children in Kosovo, which was riven by conflict and crimes against humanity, a Malaysian doctor enlisted five friends from the medical line and together they flew to the country to provide whatever help they could. All at their own expense.

Soon after, realising that there were many others like her who wanted to get involved in humanitarian work, Dr Jemilah Mahmood established Mercy Malaysia (Mercy), a non-profit medical relief organisation.

Dr Jemilah and the other extraordinary Malaysians did more than just provide humanitarian assistance. They had proven what Malaysians today are capable of.

Going against all odds to help others in need, in the country as well as abroad, without a care for the expenses, health and even threat to life and limb, is a reflection of the great progress Malaysians are making in getting out of their comfort zones to take up new challenges.

Humanitarian acts have been carried out since time immemorial. But it was only in the 19th Century that it was given a new lease of life when Henri Dunant established the Red Cross to treat wounded soldiers on both sides of the battlefield.

Since then, humanitarian work has evolved to include missions to aid civilian populations affected or injured by armed conflicts, natural and man-made disasters.

However, the rebirth of such missions was largely based on the Western flavour.

But according to Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus, who succeeded Dr Jemilah as president of Mercy in 2003, more and more Asian countries are now undertaking humanitarian missions.

He says that Malaysians, who have benefited tremendously in economic terms over the years, are also more keenly aware of their social responsibilities.

"They are more aware of what is happening in and out of the country and are developing the ability to help others.

"Though our country may be spared from major disasters such as earthquakes and cyclones, we must not close our eyes to the sufferings of our fellow man abroad," Dr Faizal told the New Sunday Times.

While there are numerous Malaysians who aspire to help in humanitarian missions, Dr Faizal says it is not as simple as jumping on the next plane to a disaster or conflict-hit country.

He says humanitarian outreach needs to be done professionally because it requires higher levels of endurance, and there are various national as well as international laws on humanitarian action, governed by a United Nations charter, that all aid organisations must comply with.

"Aid organisations must also be able to collaborate with different parties, including other aid agencies, to ensure a transparent and effective operation," he says, adding that this can also avoid instances of redundancy.

Malaysian disaster-relief groups shot to prominence when Banda Aceh in Indonesia was hit by one of the world's most devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in 2004.

Malaysia was quick to respond by deploying its armed forces to help. Several aid agencies, including Mercy, also wasted no time in heading for the disaster zone.

It was then that Malaysia's humanitarian work started earning global recognition, and some agencies like Mercy have now moved on to greater challenges such as alleviating the suffering of people ravaged by armed conflicts in Gaza and Somalia.

Indeed, the extent of involvement in humanitarian efforts and volunteerism indicates how far a society has developed and an attestation to how much the people's mindsets have evolved.

While it took more than 100 years for Western humanitarian organisations to leave a mark in relief work, Malaysia, despite being very new in the field, has made remarkable strides in less than 10 years.

Dr Faizal says Malaysia's societal paradigm shift has never been so dramatic.

"The majority of Malaysians are not afraid to show that we care. This is evident from the number of volunteers in the country that has now grown into the thousands, serving in many organisations."

He adds that the huge sense of personal satisfaction, knowing that we have helped to alleviate the sufferings of other people, is reward in itself. Even if the people and situations pose so much difficulties.

Dr Faizal encourages more Malaysians to get involved in volunteerism as it helps to develop them as individuals, as they cannot depend "on having the right infrastructure" in the field.

Volunteers, he adds, must be highly motivated and moved by the desire to make a difference in the world.

"Volunteering helps to elevate our minds and repositions us to become first-class citizens.

"Malaysians should be grateful for what we have because we are now at a juncture where we have the resources and capabilities to contribute to international aid, not so much the other way around."

Read more: Giving aid where it’s needed most - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/giving-aid-where-it-s-needed-most-1.38598#ixzz1lP7P6Kui