PETALING JAYA: Taking the cue from the government, several individuals and groups have launched their own initiatives to help those in the thick of the war against Covid-19 or those most badly affected by the outbreak.
Among them are author Hanna Alkaf, who created the group #KitaJagaKita to help those who do not have anyone to turn to, and Scotsman Joseph Mathers, whose “caremongering” effort on Facebook, has brought some relief to the most vulnerable members of society.
The organisations that are also making an effort to help are Puak Payong, which offers assistance to students; Buku Jalanan Chow Kit, which distributes food to poor families in the Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur; and The Lost Food Project, which distributes surplus food to the needy.
Their efforts are over and above the Covid-19 Fund initiative launched by the government with a RM1 million initial allocation to help those who have to be quarantined.
Hanna’s effort has benefited groups such as the Women’s Aid Organisation, Mercy Malaysia and Befrienders KL.
She told theSun she created the website with a friend, Andrew Loh, who is a member of the Pulang Mengundi team.
Pulang Mengundi was launched in 2018 to get Malaysians to return home to cast their votes in the 14th general election.
Loh had responded to Hanna’s tweet to express his interest to be part of the #KitaJagaKita initiative.
Mathers, 29, has shown that borders are no obstacles to offering help. Despite being halfway around the world, his “Caremongering Malaysia – A Community Response to Covid-19” effort on Facebook, has brought relief to many in the most vulnerable group.
The main objective is to rally young people to help their elderly neighbours by checking on them, handling grocery shopping as well as picking up medication from pharmacies for those who are unwell.
“Scaremongering is a big problem. I wanted to turn this around and get people to connect at a more positive level instead,” he told Bernama recently.
He said the group now has more than 500 members.
But thanks to the Covid-19 outbreak and the movement control order enforced to curb its spread, it has not been easy to offer help.
For instance, soup kitchens have had to downsize or even stop their operations.
Pertiwi Soup Kitchen founder Datuk Munirah Abdul Hamid said the Asian upbringing has made Malaysians more sensitive to the needs of the less fortunate.
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris counsellor Dr Fauziah Mohd Sa’ad agreed that it is in the Asian culture to help others.
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