Raya is around the corner and many of us are already prepping for that auspicious day! However, not everyone can afford to prepare for a decent festive holiday, as the case of this 37-year-old mother.
Therefore, in efforts to offer her family a decent Raya, Refina Ismail posted on her Facebook page asking for new clothes for her five children, reported The Star. She resorted to asking netizens for aid because Refina couldn’t afford to prep for Raya with her husband’s limited salary. Oh no. 🙁
As her post became viral, Refina eventually received the aid she needed but from an unexpected benefactor – the MP of Melaka. It’s her lucky day!
Source: FMT
Refina was pleasantly surprised when Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, who is also a member of DAP, was one of the firsts to have come to her rescue. That’s the kind of spirit and kindness we need in every MP!
Sympathising with her condition, Khoo gave some cash to Refina and her family at her home yesterday (30 May 2018) and arranged for her family to buka puasa at the Bayou Lagoon Park Resort in Bukit Katil. Wah!
“Welfare Department officers will register Refina for monthly cash aid,” he said after stating that it was heart-wrenching to see a mother asking for aid to give her children a memorable Raya.
That’s a good initiative!
Source: The Star
Refina later confessed that she was very desperate, so she had no choice but to share her problems with fellow netizens. She said that her husband Osman Albani, 42, works an odd job and earns only RM800 per month.
Part of the money is mainly used to cover their monthly house rental of RM450, and the balance will be segregated to cover school expenses and other expenses.
Refina also added that for the past few months, the remaining money was used to cover their travelling expenses from Melaka to Kuala Lumpur as their five-month-old infant, Natasha, needs to go for check-ups to monitor the hole in her heart at the National Heart Institute.
Source: KL City Guide
Not only that, Refina shared that her older children, Mohd Ridzwan, 11, Nur Ain Faharah, 9, Mohd Helmi, 7, and Mohd Khalid, 4, had been constantly asking for Raya clothes and shoes since Ramadan began. Pity the kids!
“They hear stories of their classmates buying Hari Raya items and kept pestering us for new attire.”
“But we don’t have the money to buy all of them new sets of clothing,” she said, adding that it would be her family’s first time having their buka puasa at a hotel.
She also thanked the resort’s CEO, Datuk Marco Seow for arranging the special dinner for her family. Kudos Datuk Marco for helping out!
Well, we are definitely happy that Refina got the aid she needed and we applaud Melaka’s MP for helping a family in need. We can all certainly take inspo from Khoo’s gesture of kindness to help one another as the festive season approaches. Spread kindness, not hate!
Also read: Filipino Man Shares How 13yo Malaysian Went Out of His Way to Help Him at the Airport
