SEMPORNA: As Sabah continues to record the highest daily number of Covid-19 cases per day, fellow Malaysians are showing solidarity by donating in cash and kind.
Sabah currently has 16 districts that have been classified as red zones, nine classified as yellow zones and one – Tongod – maintaining its green zone classification.
Bernama observed an example of this solidarity in Semporna where several individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have handed donations to the people and frontliners.
Semporna Heroes team leader, Jamilah Ang Kher Lern, said everyone -- whether they are from the peninsula or Sarawak -- is feeling anxious about the Covid-19 situation.
“Contributions from Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Shah Alam, Seremban and Putrajaya which were flown into Tawau yesterday with the help of the army is confirmation of this,” she said.
She said the donations included dry goods from Kembara Kitchen, as well as face masks and shields, boot covers and isolation gown sets.
She said she also received cash donations which were used to buy essential items for distribution to the Semporna people, including the Palau community (sea gypsies).
She said the solidarity has prevented a humanitarian crisis from happening.
“The endless support has allowed Semporna Heroes to continue with its efforts to distribute food packs to affected groups,” said Ang, while adding that partnering government agencies and security teams like the marine has made the delivery of aid much easier.
She said that Semporna Heroes is grateful for the unending contributions and has vowed to keep going (while making sure to wear PPE) as long as people keep helping.
In continuing to do its part, Kembara Kitchen co-founder, William Cheah, mentioned in a Facebook posting that their next mission is to send aid to Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu.
Meanwhile, within a week of being launched, a Pertubuhan Rejuvenasi Pendidikan-Semporna Heroes fundraising campaign managed to collect RM52,365.
In a Facebook posting on Monday, former Education Minister, Maszlee Malik, said that “a portion of donations was used to buy 10kg of rice and other food essentials for 1,000 (Semporna residents) impacted by the pandemic”.
He said he was overwhelmed by the dedication of the Semporna Heroes volunteers who were willing to enter high-risk areas to distribute the aid.-Bernama
