Ministry of Religious Affairs, Orang Tua Group aid four Labuan Bajo schools

Labuan Bajo — The Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in West Manggarai, together with the national ministry and food producer Orang Tua Group, distributed snack aid to students at four education units in Labuan Bajo on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, as schools continued recovering from the Flores earthquake.

According to public broadcaster Radio Republik Indonesia, the team led by West Manggarai religious affairs head Fransiskus Xaverius Adi visited RA Nurul Iman Sernaru Labuan Bajo, RA Al Ikhlas Labuan Bajo, SMAK Seminari St. Yohanes Paulus II Labuan Bajo and Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) Manggarai Barat to hand over the assistance.

RRI reported that the activity was designed to help restore children’s spirits and support their return to learning after the disaster, which has been described locally as the Flores earthquake.

Snack aid for students

In its regional report from West Manggarai, RRI said the assistance consisted of light food snacks distributed directly to students at the four institutions.

The broadcaster described the collaboration between the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Orang Tua Group as part of efforts to “bring back smiles” to education units during the post-earthquake recovery period, with snacks offered as a form of attention and encouragement for children.

In a separate article on education recovery, RRI noted that similar snack packages from the ministry and Orang Tua Group were also being channelled to madrasah affected by the quake, alongside tarpaulins and other support aimed at keeping learning activities running safely.

Local media coverage of the wider response to the Flores earthquake has highlighted that the Ministry of Religious Affairs is coordinating emergency and recovery aid for schools and religious institutions across several districts in Flores, including Manggarai Barat, Manggarai, Manggarai Timur, Ende, Nagekeo and Ngada.

School visits and student recovery

RRI’s report from Labuan Bajo said Adi personally led the team that visited the four education units, using the opportunity both to distribute the snacks and to observe how learning activities were continuing after the quake.

The broadcaster quoted school leaders who described the visit as meaningful for students. The head of SMAK Seminari St. Yohanes Paulus II Labuan Bajo said the ministry’s direct presence provided moral support for pupils, while the principal of RA Nurul Iman Sernaru highlighted the happiness the snacks brought to young children still adapting to post-disaster conditions.

Other local reports on the earthquake’s impact on education facilities in the wider Manggarai area have noted that damage to buildings and disruption to classes have required temporary learning spaces and psychosocial support for students.

In coverage of emergency education measures, media outlets have described the deployment of temporary learning tents, tarpaulins and school kits to affected schools, with officials emphasising that maintaining continuity of teaching is a central goal of the response.

Part of the Flores earthquake recovery

The snack distribution in Labuan Bajo formed one small part of a broader recovery effort following the Flores earthquake, which struck Nusa Tenggara Timur with a reported magnitude of 7.7 and damaged education facilities under the Ministry of Religious Affairs in several districts.

Local and national media have reported that the Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar earlier visited MAN Labuan Bajo and other facilities in Manggarai Barat to deliver Rp3 billion in emergency assistance, temporary learning spaces and school kits for children affected by the quake.

In Manggarai district alone, updated figures from the joint disaster command post cited by regional media reported damage to 17 education facilities under the ministry, with most classified as heavily damaged.

Against this backdrop, the snack distribution and school visits in Labuan Bajo were presented by RRI as a gesture aimed at supporting students’ emotional recovery and reinforcing the message that learning will continue despite the earthquake’s impact.

Sources

• RRI.co.id - Hadirkan Senyum Pascagempa, Kemenag Mabar Distribusikan Bantuan ke Sekolah
• POS-KUPANG.COM - Menteri Agama Serahkan Bantuan Rp3 Miliar untuk Korban Gempa Flores, Pendidikan Jadi Perhatian
• Viva NTT - Gempa Flores M7,7 Rusak 17 Fasilitas Pendidikan Depag di Manggarai
• Kabarsulut.id - Bantuan Rp3 Miliar dan 16 Tenda Sekolah Darurat Disalurkan Menag saat Tinjau Gempa Flores