It’s not uncommon to stumble upon people who live on the streets in Malaysia. As much as we hate passing judgement, most of us can’t help but automatically think that homeless people are just lazy people who never worked to earn a living.
However, a heartbreaking story by one of the men living on the streets of KL reveals otherwise.
This homeless man who prefers to remain anonymous shares how he was actually a chef previously – for a whopping 25 years too! I have met this man while distributing food with Street Feeders of KL (SFOKL), a group of volunteers who reach out to these homeless friends in the hopes of helping them get back on their feet.
Street Feeders ready to distribute food for the homeless
One of the gathering points
With tired, wrinkled eyes, the now 62-year-old man told me that he used to rent a room somewhere in KL and became fairly close to the landlady. However, he recently lost his job because he had to be admitted into the hospital for 3 months because of a sickness. And after losing his old job, he wasn’t able to successfully secure a new one till now, especially at his age.
The man shares that he does have a brother with a family but he does not want to bother them because he sees himself as a burden. Hence, he took it upon himself and stayed homeless while he kept on searching for a new job.
Some of the homeless around the area
He tells me,
“Are you all still studying? You all must study hard, you all don’t know how lucky you all are. Don’t end up homeless.”
He repeated several times, “Uncle is afraid I will end up like them (being homeless for years), that’s why I didn’t give up finding a job. But it’s hard. The immigrants are very cheap labour, so I never stood a chance.”
The man’s story seriously touched me with how dedicated he is. He said to never give up even when you are met with challenges, even if it puts you on the streets, because for a 62-year-old like him, he is still fighting and trying to find a job. He also taught me to stand up on your own from where you’ve fallen; don’t be a burden to those who love you, but be the one that eases their burden.
Street Feeders of KL (SFOKL) distributing food to the homeless
Before we ended our chat, he mentioned how he feels that the government is neglecting how there’s an increasing number of homeless people and are focusing on bringing in more immigrants for cheap labor instead. So for locals like him, it is extremely hard to secure a job against cheap foreign labour.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking how someone who is willing to work just to put a roof over his head is unable to do so, just because no one is willing to employ a local like him – and yet they prefer to employ cheap foreigners.
If you’d like to help the homeless and support SFOKL in their great cause to help homeless friends re-integrate back into society through counselling, potential job opportunities and/or simply lend a willing ear to them, you can donate your extra change here.
Remember, every cent counts! No matter how big or small 🙂 So don’t wait for something to happen, do it!
Again, check out and support their great cause here.
Also read: Bus Company Refunds Kind-hearted Malaysian Who Bought Ticket for Homeless Man
