Avengers to the rescue: Volunteers educate Indonesians on disaster preparedness
By Kiki Siregar
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[Mr Tamim Suherman, a 70-year-old volunteer,] is part of a volunteer group called the Avengers, which assists the West Java Disaster and Mitigation Agency to educate villages on disaster preparedness, and participates in search and rescue teams during emergencies.
A couple of villagers founded the group in 2016 after attending a briefing hosted by the agency.
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The Avengers want to play a part in spreading awareness. They visit schools and communities and engage the locals on the appropriate response to various disasters - floods, earthquakes, landslides, and even volcanic eruptions.
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However, not everyone sees the value in the work of the Avengers as the group sometimes find itself engaging a disinterested crowd.
Mdm Teti Hidayati, one of the team, said: “Sometimes, there are people who appreciate us, but sometimes there are some who say, ‘Well, let’s think about things like this later.’ That happens very often.”
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