THIS FRIDAY 12 OCTOBER 2018 students are being asked to bring a gold coin or coins to school in their backpacks to assist us with our donation to the Backpacker Medics in Sulawesi. We will collect the coins on Friday afternoon and donate the money to the Backpacker Medics. Our sister school in Sulawesi is SD Paccinongan Unggulan (Primary School) in Gowa Region, Makassar, Sulawesi. We have chosen to support the Backpacker Medics for the valuable work they do in risky situations, because they are West Australians volunteering their services and because students can identify with their use of ‘backpacks’ to carry in all their medical supplies.
Our Indonesian Language teacher, Ibu Janice said:
Margaret River Primary has an established sister school in Makassar, Sulawesi. The earthquake and sudden tsunami has left the areas of Palu, Donggala and the surrounding areas totally devastated.
We wish to donate to Backpacker Medics to support the work in Palu and Donggala. This Western Australian based group, Backpacker Medics (BPM), is a platform for paramedics and other pre-hospital workers to engage with the world of humanitarian work. Their goal is simple: to take effective medical care to those who need it most. They are a wholly volunteer and donation-based NGO who deliver mobile pre-hospital healthcare and community education.
Everyone involved with Backpacker Medics has travelled extensively, often returning from far flung destinations with a burning desire to use their skills to help the comunities they encounter.
One common thread of their “traveller’s tales” is that the people who need the most assistance are often in the most remote locations. These are places well off the usual tourist trails and, therefore, sometimes largely forgotten. More often than not, the only access to these areas is on foot and the only way to bring supplies in is to carry them. Hence: Backpacker Medics.
Good luck in Sulawesi…Thank you Backpacker Medics.
Sending thoughts, prayers and positive energy to all the victims and emergency rescue workers in earthquake stricken Central Sulawesi…#prayforsulawesi #backpackermedics
You can read more about the work Backpacker Medics do and watch their Today Tonight interview on their website by clicking on the picture below. [Warning: This website may contain images of the current situation which could be confronting for younger children. To be viewed with an adult.]
Written by Ibu Janice; posted by D. Veary
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