Second Wave, Standing Brave
by Alya Salleh
The height of Covid-19 infections in Brunei incited fear across the nation. An unfamiliar feeling - we turned to each other for solace. Though tears clouded our line of sight, our judgment remained clear - together we protect. Overnight, NGOs and companies in public and private sectors alike united to heal the people. Aid flooded the gates of health centres in every form, from food for the patients to scrubs for our frontliners. Through the high pitch of amplified efforts, the cries of low-income families were washed out. Sudden job losses, spikes in prices of household staples - they were but without a contingency to fall upon. The public soon became aware and rose to the occasion - GAIA's Carepacks.
An initiative driven by GAIA, which could not have been possible without the public's support, GAIA's Carepacks comprised of basic necessities to buffer the economic impact of covid-19 on affected communities.
Over the span of one and a half months GAIA received donations amounting to BND 11,000. This provided 222 families with food, medicine and daily necessities. The carepacks reached communities on land and water, from urban to rural, across all four districts.
Joined in unison, the GAIA team along with volunteers, kind vendors and generous donors curated and dispatched carepacks weekly to families in need. Milk formula, baby diapers - as much as possible the team catered to the needs of each recipient who varied between bed ridden elderlies with lifelong illnesses, expecting mothers and their young children as well as expatriates who were at loss after losing their pay to shut businesses.
The gratitude expressed by each of them is hard to put in words - we were deeply humbled by the smiles on their faces and thanks which could be heard and seen in their eyes, despite the calamity they were facing.
Today, the public continues to play a part through countless initiatives which share a similar cause. The country has yet to recover and hence our job has only just begun. Let’s remember, when one calls for help, we will all stand together. #togetherweprotect