RANU WELUM Headquarter
Located in Rajawali Main Street nearby a crossroad, two floors building with blue color decorated with baby trees near the doors. People come to pick the baby trees then leave. Some come to buy Nasi Bakar, roasted rice which is sold at the container in front. Unlike in the dry season where it opens 24/7, it now casually opens at 8 am then close at 4 pm.
Yes, in every dry season when the forest and peat fires happen in Central Kalimantan, the air is extremely polluted. It’s not merely a common pollution; it’s particulate matters 2,5! The air is filled with dust and particles that cannot be filtered by our lung. Most times it is mixed with poisonous gas which causes breathing difficulties. Hence, this two floors building which is called HQ (headquarter) is the only place that provide clean air in such times.
The building was set up as haze shelter in 2016, only a few months after massive fires in haze in 2015. In 2017, the shelter was tested by Haze Hack team, which consisted of Unicef, Kopernik and Pulse Lab Jakarta, and proved to be effective as an evacuation center and the only safe house in Indonesia during forest fires and toxic haze disaster. However, people did not really pay attention to it until another massive fires and toxic haze occurred in 2019. Every day, there were over 50 people came to the shelter to get clean air and medical service for the whole four months (July - October).
A little girl was given oxygen after almost collapsing because of breathe difficulty.
A one month old baby was evacuated to the shelter where he could get clean air.
Every year the forest and peat fires keep happening. When we recall 2015 fires, we know that we should always get ready and prepared so no tragedy repeats itself.
Wally and team visited Kalimantan during 2019 fire and brought supplies needed for shelter.
Big Red Button, a media company from Singapore, is the one that have been supporting us in all these years. The founder, Wally Tham, has come to Palangkaraya several times including in the 2015 fire season. Not only Wally and Big Red Button team members invented the idea and technology of the haze shelter, they also delivered thousands of N95 masks, air filters, air purifiers, and paid for the rent of the buildings which cost 3,500 Singapore dollar every year. They also helped build other four haze shelters in Palangkaraya. Basically, we owe our breath to them.
It’s been six years since the shelter was build. Thousands lives, especially babies’ and elders’, have been saved. Again, Big Red Button shows up and supports us by paying the building rent bill for another year? Till when? Till Kalimantan is no longer on fire? We doubt so, since it has happened for 24 years.
Therefore, we need you now more than ever. We need you to come on board. We need you to step in, reach out and help us save lives. We need you to join us to expand the use of these five haze shelters we have now, put more facilities and most important is to pay the bill. Haze in Kalimantan is no joke. Seven years ago, children died, elders died and hundreds of thousands suffers of respiratory problems. Now, they get a chance to breathe. Thanks to Ranu Welum team. Thanks to Big Red Button. Thanks to you.
Written by Emmanuela Shinta
Training on how to give first aid and emergency response at the HQ