UNDIP, Aceh (26/1) – The Disaster Volunteer Team D-DART of Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) carried out a humanitarian mission in disaster-affected areas of Aceh Province, particularly in Aceh Tamiang Regency and Pidie Jaya, from January 18–25, 2025. This activity reflects the commitment of higher education institutions to support post-disaster community recovery through health, psychosocial, and educational approaches. During its implementation, the UNDIP D-DART Team coordinated with the Disaster Response Team of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala (FK-USK), as well as faculty leadership to discuss disaster conditions and the effectiveness of on-site response efforts.
In Aceh Tamiang Regency, the UNDIP D-DART Team provided spiritual psychosocial assistance through activities such as the Qur’an Verse Continuation Quiz and coloring therapy for children at TPQ Al-Barokah, involving 25 participants. In addition, the team provided logistical support for education, including school uniforms, notebooks, reading books, the Qur’an, Juz Amma, and religious educational media, to three educational institutions: SDN 1 Pulau Tiga, MTsN 3 Aceh Tamiang, and MAN Tamiang Hulu. Health support was also provided by distributing medicines to the Pulau Tiga Community Health Center (Puskesmas).
Meanwhile, in Pidie Jaya, the volunteer team encountered worsening community nutrition due to limited access to nutritious food, increased stunting risk, and limited access to safe drinking water. Social assistance was provided to children and adults through activities such as murojaah, continuation of reading of Qur’an verses, and coloring therapy as part of psychosocial recovery efforts. The team also distributed milk and snacks for children, as well as basic logistics assistance, such as towels and sanitation products, to areas in East Aceh.
During the mission, the UNDIP D-DART Team faced several challenges, including long travel times and limited access to locations, although access had begun to improve. Field conditions indicated that urgent community needs still include access to clean water, restoration of electricity and cellular networks, repair of public facilities and infrastructure, and additional volunteers for environmental cleanup and recovery activities. To address these needs, IKA UNDIP Aceh also assisted in accelerating the distribution of logistics to Sijudo Village, East Aceh Regency, acting as an extension of the D-DART team. The logistics distributed to the village included towels, deodorant, antiseptics, and other personal hygiene kits.
A representative of the UNDIP D-DART Disaster Volunteer Team, Ns. Marsha Yoke Nancy, S.Kep., M.N.Sc., stated that psychosocial and spiritual assistance is a crucial aspect of helping communities recover from the impacts of disasters. “Psychosocial assistance, especially for children and vulnerable groups, is essential to restore their mental well-being. However, basic needs such as clean water, electricity, and nutritious food remain major challenges that require sustained support from various parties. Several areas have already reported cases of stunting and even intestinal worm infections—this serves as an alarm for us to provide targeted and nutritious assistance,” she explained.
Through this initiative, UNDIP D-DART hopes that cross-institutional collaboration and volunteer participation will continue to be strengthened to accelerate the recovery process and improve the quality of life of communities in disaster-affected areas of Aceh. This action aligns with the commitment “Noble and Valuable UNDIP” and contributes to the accelerated recovery of disaster survivors in Aceh. (Public Communication/UNDIP/Aldani, D-DART Volunteers)
