The Mercy Corps Blog

Blog Post Posted October 8, 2009, 12:35 pm by Tanty Pranawisanty

I hope the world got my message

I never imagined that I would be interviewed by an international news TV station. But there I was, on a live report from the field, with Al Jazeera asking me to tell the world what I seeing. They asked me about the rapid needs assessments that Mercy Corps conducted within 48 hours after the massive earthquake hit Padang, West Sumatra.

I must admit that I was bit nervous and less confident — in part because I'd missed my morning shower due to the lack of water all over Padang. But I went to meet Al Jazeera’s crews, who were ready and standing by in front of the fatally-damaged Ambacang Hotel, where hundreds of hotel guests were trapped under the collapsed building and buried alive there.

I was very surprised to know that I would be interviewed by Veronica Pedrosa, the reporter that I often saw on TV, updating news from all over the world. It made me feel quite edgy.

After having a minute for self calming, I started to realize that this was a big chance for me to let the world know what was going on in this place. The cry for help from the survivors who had lost their family members, the view of the children who were sleeping under the tent in an open areas, and the family members who tried to search for things in the ruins — all those things suddenly gave me my confidence back.

And that morning, live from the field, I was finally able to spread the message to the world that there are thousands of survivors who need immediate help. They need clean water and food. They need hygiene kits. They need recovery kits to clean up debris. And most of all, they need to have the world know about what happened to them.

It was only a ten-minute interview, but I hope the world got my message.

Soon afterward, I received phone calls and text messages from my Mercy Corps colleges who happened to be watching that live report. I also got a sweet phone call from my kids, who were also watching me on TV. All those supportive messages and responses made me smile.

I felt so fine the rest of that day and very grateful about my life. That afternoon, while enjoying my cup of hot black coffee, I remembered the famous quote from Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in this world.” I smiled to myself for choosing the right life path and being member of Mercy Corps' big family. It's the best decision I have ever made.