Over the course of a week, Shane and I had meet with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) to discuss the plight of the Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, we provided first aids to the community, conducted exercise and relaxation classes and offered counseling services. Shane has made numerous calls to other NGOs and charitable organizations and Food Aid Foundation responded.
The Food Aid Foundation serves so many communities but they have promised to share whatever leftovers with GIFT. We were given their official t-shirts to wear whenever we go for food collection.
Wai Meng of Kechara Soup Kitchen has also stepped up and connected us with Michelle Yap of the Angel Foundation. She organized leftover vegetables from suppliers in the Selayang Market. GIFT collect a truckload of vegetables every few days and share among our community. We also distribute them to nearby charity organizations and folks living in the low cost flats (apartments).
GIFT Foundation Updates:
- Construction work for a kitchen/bakery commenced after a long pause due to lack of fund. The Champa men volunteer their time every weekend whenever there is scrap material available to work with. The plan is to have a cottage industry for the women to earn a living.
2. The Eco-friendly farm is still a work in progress. There are farm animals and an attempt to grow vegetables. However, due to lack of proper management and man power, the kids from the village are making it their playground. They forget to close the gate to the vegetable patch and the goats get a feast.
GIFT Foundation helps the neighborhood and surrounding districts.
Dr. Firdaus is such a big hearted woman and mother. She opens her house to anyone who needs shelter and food. She is a professor at a university and uses most of her salary to slowly buy materials to build the kitchen, put food in hungry mouths and we found out today that she also shares food donated to GIFT with another Rohingya settlement nearby.
A few overseas and local NGOs built a small schoolhouse for the Rohingya community nearby. It was just a square block with roof. The community has to construct benches used as writing tables for the children. When Dr. Firdaus visited the school, she was appalled to find out a basic necessity like a toilet is not available. She funded a construction of one outside the school house and has since shares food donated to GIFT with this community. Shane tried to contact these overseas NGOs and update them of the plight of the Rohingya children here but failed to receive any reply.
