Shane and I were introduced to Dr. Firdaus, founder of Gift Foundation to help assist her in getting her NGO organized. Situated in Klang village (kampung) area of Telok Gadong, Dr. Firdaus has turned her house and it’s surrounding land into a place of refuge for the poor and in particular Rohingya refugees and the Malay Champs (better known as Champa).
We were introduced to a madrasah for the Rohingya refugee boys in a building her late parents built and willed to her for the sole purpose of helping humankind. Dr. Firdaus turned this building into a school and hostel for the boys with a Rohingya elder as principal and teacher. With limited funding from the government, she has used her own savings to feed many hungry mouths. She desperately needed help with Shane’s organizational and mental health skills for the community.
Our introduction proceeded to her house where we met with the Malay Champas. The women had cooked a simple lunch. We later found out news has reached across Malaysia and some Champas have travelled long distance to meet us. It was humbling and we felt a great responsibility to help these folks. We were also introduced to a volunteer intern and several individuals who have donated time and money to her cause.
With Dr. Firdaus acting as an interpreter, Shane outlined the programs Gift Foundation will be doing during the course of our stay in Malaysia and the tools he will impart before we leave. The Champa community has much to say, they have put a lot of faith into Dr. Firdaus but progress to help obtain permanent residence has been extremely slow to none in the government level. (*Read more about the origin of Champs here. ) We are not here to expedite their immigration progress. We don’t have the authority nor a magic wand to grant them this wish but we could maybe help with some of their welfare concerns and emotional state of mind.
Shane also counseled the young Rohingya boys and took time getting to know each one of them. There is much to do, we pray God will guide us in helping our brothers, sisters and children.
