KUCHING, Nov 9: Habitat for Indigenous and Urban Program (Hidup) continues to assist the poor and needy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hidup president, George Young Si Ricord Jr said since the Movement Control Order (MCO) and now Conditional MCO, the NGO has been actively involved in assisting the less fortunate families.
Last Saturday, Hidup reached out to 15 families at Kampung Merdang, five families in Kampung Quop and a wheel chair for an accident victim, Jeffery Anyap from Kampung Merdang Lumut.
“Hidup received a tremendous boost when the donation of food items was facilitated by Choice Supermarket Group, Premier 101. And these donations have helped us to assist these underprivileged families who are finding it increasingly difficult to make a living,” George said here today.
He added that those who seek assistance from Hidup were daily wage earners such as coffeeshop workers or those working as helpers or construction workers and have been jobless for months.
“They are the most vulnerable and need help. Then, I started seeing appeals for food on Facebook and our Hidup volunteers and I thought people who were asking for such help must be really desperate. I had to do something,” he said.
George said those who appealed for food were desperate and willing to set aside their pride to make sure their children have something to eat.
“Take for example the case of Sandai Ani Laboh, an elderly single mother, without any income or receiving any welfare benefits. All of her daughters-in-law are working as cleaners at a nearby school or Mastura Saing Abdullah, a single mother with no fixed income,” he said.
George also hoped that the relevant government agencies should try to do more for single mothers who deserved attention and aid.
“We all thought that the situation would get better when the MCO/RMCO was lifted because this meant that people could return to work. But instead, many of them suffered pay-cuts and are now living hand-to-mouth,” he said.
To meet the needs of these less fortunate families, George is appealing to the public with food surplus such as dried food, biscuits, noodles, canned food or to reach out to Hidup where these basic necessities can be distributed to the needy.
“Let us be the embodiment of true compassion, empathy and kindness, especially when it comes to children,” said George.
Hidup is an NGO that provides charitable members of society an avenue to donate provisions to those who need them most. For more information, Hidup can be reached at 0111 8580528/010-507 0528. — DayakDaily
