pisang emas dibawa belayar
masak sebiji di atas peti
hutang emas boleh dibayar
hutang budi dibawa mati
THE best THANK YOU I can give is in the form of my daily doa to the Almighty for friends who joined me in helping the 24 orphans in Kg Behrang, off Tg Malim. The first contribution to these school-going children was made on the eve of Maal Hijrah, and done with the assistance of the Pak Imam and the Mosque committee.
It was a very small do. But it's a start of what I hope, and believe, to be a journey of considerable significance to all of us involved in the project. As I said, the RM1 a day donation, which works out to RM30 a month or RM360 a year, may yet help make a difference to these children.
Looked after either by their surviving father or mother, these children will be given educational assistance in the form of tuition and skill enhancement once the infrastructure for these initiatives have been completed. InsyaAllah, there are already willing hands to make light these efforts.
For your information, these children survive on the meagre earnings of their guardian who are either odd-job workers in the kampong or employees of nearby establishments with small salaries. In the final analysis, we must all help these children to learn to fish, rather than giving them a fish a day to feed themselves.
At this point in time, I want to place my appreciation to the following individuals who have come forward to help these orphans. As most of you have indicated, you want to remain anonymous. But I feel some form of recognition is necessary. Hence, you may just find nicknames and the like.
They are: Dato Abdullah, Zainal Bo-Den, Rocky, Ashraf, Apau, Chein, Feroz, ZulB, Cik, Cha, Lan MK, Jam, Wan Sab, Sham & Jat and Sabri. A special thank for Karim Sulaiman, who is undergoing treatment for his rare skin disease at HKL. Without all of your support, it would have been impossible to start this venture.
I'll be sending each of you a text message on how you can continue to contribute. I'm keeping records of these donations, and a qualified accountant is assisting me in maintaining the books which can be viewed at any time. As I said, this RM1 a day initiative is based on trust and a shared believe that we must all do our part to help our brothers and sisters.
You can make a monthly contribution or choose to do it every quarterly, or even once a year. I hope you can join us when we hand over our next donation, hopefully on Jan 28 or 29. Soon, when the fruit season starts, I'll be inviting you to sample some of the durians or rambutans or mangosteens found in abundance in Kg Behrang.
Kg Behrang is just five minutes away from Proton City, and we must help the kampong folks realise that there are opportunities which can help improve their income and work towards a better quality of life. But that, my friends, is another initiative altogether...
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5 comments:
My name is Abdul Manan Buyong. I am tha 'Manan' referred to by the good Datok Ahmad A Talib ( Tok Mat to us in Behrang Ulu) in the posting just before this...
Tok Mat, when I began to befriend him, was a busy editor in a mainstream newspaper. I met him once many years ago when he was young, but never get to make his acquintance.
His father - a friend of my father - I knew much better. Arwah Pak Talib was spending his last years being a 'siak' for our Kampong Mosque. He stayed on their dusun besides the mosque and almost singlehandedly nursed the former unkempt land to become an orchard worth envying..
Tok Mat used to visit him often, especially 'when the durians are fallen..'so to speak. And I was following PAHIT MANIS every week..
Behrang Ulu is a Kampung which sometimes reminded me of the title of one song I used to hummed.." So near, yet so far away.." Our Kampung is not really 'Ulu' in the sense we thought of normally. It is now the immediate neighbour of the PROTON CITY where the Tanjung Malim PROTON factory is situated. Tanjung Malim, as we all are aware, was the seat of learning and most times referred to as the 'cradle of Malay Nationalism'.. It was/is not far from KL.
But that was the nearness..partly.
On the other hand, the kampung folks does not, to my mind, seemed to be in tandem with the nearness; the 'progress', the development' and the 'perubahan' that should be the lot of the benefecieries of an independent nation. Infact they seemed faraway. They are 'ketinggaalan'
And so it was that Ahmad and I used to spend a lot of time pondering what went wrong.. what is the reason.. that our kampung people does not take - for example - education seriously. Why is that our youth are mostly directionless and put themselves into serious problems like drugs and gambling.. Why is that our elders are numbed when we try to discuss such matters with them.. That no one seems to know what to do to improve their lot?
Yes, there were those who made it to become meaningful persons and better people.. better than their parents. But they, when they are over the fence, cannot and do not come back and help their kampong to progress and help those 'left behind."
I am sure this situation not only is happening in/to our kampung. Ours is not an isolated case. This malady, if you can call it that, is happening everywhere where a kampung and its inhabitant failed to keep up with progressed ESPECIALLY, when the progress is at ones doorstep.
(At this juncture I must let you know that Ahmad Talib cares a lot. I gave him the impression that I am interested in doing good; and that I have the time; that as a local social activist I have contacts; and that I am reasonably educated; and that if ever there's anyone who wants to help our kampong I will be willing to commit myself)
It was then that Ahmad came with a lot of ideas and initiatives and we have carried out some of them. But that was rather on and a-hoc basis..
Then Tok Mat came with this idea which in short is to plan and programme our effort more systematically. We should start with education and we should start with those who needs help most - the Yatims..
His effort and drive has attracted supporters, albeit small in number yet, in the kampong. One of them Razali who is younger and energetic.
..and you have read his postings on this.
I would like to thank tok mat and his friends..you. Today, the 10th of Muharram is an auspicious day. In our Kampong there are people who cooked 'Bubur Asyura'.. And Tok Mat is expected to meet with village elders ( Ahli JK Masjid and Ahli JKKK among them) after 'asar in the mesjid and we are going to give informations as well as motivations with the purpose of helping the anak anak yatim.
Thank you.
Tok Mat:
How can I help?
Izham Yusoff
I think this is a great venture. how can I help?
Dear Izham and Bak raa Bak!
Thank you for your interest and offer of help! Very much appreciated my dear friends.
Izham, mail me your handfone number at ahmad@aatsb.net and I'll contact you ASAP.
Bak raaa Bak, you are so far away! Let me see how you can help one way or the other!
TQ very much!
Salam Tok Mat,
Rasa terpanggil untuk contribute to your orphan project. Since I'm in Dhahran, Saudi, boleh support financially sajalah, inshaallah, & inshaallah kalau murah rezeki panjang umur will visit place during my summer vacation (July-Aug). My mother-in-law lives in Sg. Bil, not that far from Behrang Ulu. Will contact your e-mail for details.
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