Religious ministry to help heal the victims of the Cianjur earthquake

By Stephen B. Howard Last updated Nov 23, 2022

Survivors should not feel depressed (for) too long, as they need to keep their spirits up to face the challenges and move on with their lives.

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Religious Affairs will deploy trauma healing teams made up of marriage officiants and Islamic religious counselors to help those affected by the 5.6 (M) magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday Cianjur District, West Java Province.

“We have prepared marriage celebrants and Islamic religious counselors to offer motivation as well as assistance (to the victims),” the acting secretary of the General Directorate of Islamic Community Guidance at the ministry remarked on Wednesday. , Mr. Adib.

Adib said trauma healing teams would be briefed at the Cianjur district religious affairs office before being sent to several evacuation posts.

The acting executive secretary general said disaster survivors needed to be motivated to help them through their grief.

“Survivors should not feel depressed (for) too long, as they need to keep their spirits up to face the challenges and move on with their lives,” he said.

In addition, the ministry will provide assistance to repair local religious affairs offices and places of worship damaged by the earthquake.

Adib recorded that 21 mosques and five religious affairs offices are damaged.

“Of the five offices, three religious affairs offices are slightly damaged, while two others are badly damaged,” he noted.

Adib said his camp would rebuild badly damaged offices and renovate moderately damaged offices.

“Regarding the amount (allocated) (to repair offices and places of worship), we will first see our budgetary capacity,” remarked the acting general secretary of the management.

Adib said his side will immediately hold a meeting to prepare further actions to restore the buildings.

In addition to trauma healing services and the renovation of damaged buildings, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will provide funeral services for the deceased.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded that 268 people died in the earthquake and the number of injured reached 1,083, while the number of refugees stood at 58,362 people, in date of Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 5 p.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB).