MOW HAPPY CHILD - Please help Hui Lin's family to feed and care for her

This is a truly sad story. Hui Lin was previously a bright and active 9 year old. She had a sudden onset of fever and loss of consciousness just before Chinese New Year. She was intubated and ventilated for several days in the intensive care unit of UMMC. Multiple investigations were done on her, including MRI on her brain which confirmed that she had Acute Necrotising Encephalitis (brain injury with very poor prognosis).

Hui Lin is now out of the critical period. Unfortunately, she has multiple complications: bed-ridden, tube feeding, and cognitive impairment (unable to communicate). Her diet consists of only Nutren Junior milk.

She depends fully on her mother and elder brother. Her mother had also recently underwent an operation and is still recovering from the operation.

The father, who is a self-employed wireman is now the sole breadwinner to support the family of 5. Hui Lin's elder sister who is 15 yrs old is still in school, while her 23-year old brother is a draughtsman (currently on unpaid leave to help care for Hui Lin). With a total household income of RM3,500 per month, of which almost RM3,000 goes to house rental & utilities, lorry (which is used for the father's work) instalment, the family is desperately seeking help to care for Hui Lin.

Hui Lin is expected to be discharged from the hospital in a couple of weeks, depending on her progress. Currently, she needs 1 tin of 800gm of Nutren Junior milk every 2 days, or 15 tins per month. The milk cost about RM60-65 per tin, which will cost the family about RM1,000 per month. She also needs diapers and wet wipes which cost almost RM300 per month.

We are seeking donation to help Hui Lin get the nutrients and care that she needs.
Every little bit helps ...

If you wish to help Hui Lin for the purchase of milk, diapers and wet wipes, you can deposit your donation (cash or cheque) into our account:

Account Name: Ti-Ratana Community Centre Penchala
CIMB Account No: 14660000259057

Please email your deposit slip to trccpenchala@gmail.com.

For any questions or further information, please contact June at 012-2409020 or 03-77849002.

On behalf of Hui Lin and her family, we would like to thank you for your kindness.


Posted by: Kim
Pictures courtesy of: Kim

MOW HAPPY CHILD - UPDATE ON SITI'S DONOR LIST & A GET WELL SOON CARD TO SITI BY DATIN SERI TIARA JACQUELINA

Siti Nurmaisara, 9 years old, suffers from cystic fibrosis which is a progressive, lifelong condition, in which the glands that produce mucus, sweat and intestinal secretions do not function properly. Thick mucus accumulates in the lungs, leading to breathing difficulty and infection. It also impairs digestion, which makes it difficult for Nurmaisara to get the necessary nutrients to grow. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but supportive treatments are available to help improve quality of life.

After our posting on Siti's plight, we received contributions from many donors, including Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina.

Datin Seri Tiara's representative visited Siti at her home in PPR Gombak Setia on 22nd April and delighted Siti with 2 tins of Peptamen Junior (they wanted to buy more but most pharmacies do not stock this special milk because of its short shelf life, and they only managed to buy 2 tins), a personalized get well soon card and a cheque donation.

Get well soon Siti! personalize card for siti by Datin seri tiara

Hazlee, representative of Datin Seri Tiara presenting the milk, cheque and card to Siti & Fazilah.

Siti holding the donation & personalized get well soon card from Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina.

click the youtube link to view Siti's Mother, Fazilah, sharing the complications of Siti's illness and expressing her appreciation to Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina.
 http://youtu.be/5y5epuXgxVs

We would like to thank all our generous donors who have come forward to support Siti and her mother, Fazilah.


1. Albert Quay  - RM200
2. Alex and Adrian Lee - RM780
3. Datin Malina Su  - RM1,000
4. Ms. Mala   - RM200
5. Dr. T.C  - RM300
6. Pn Sri Cecilia Lim - RM300
7. Zainal Amar  - RM250
8. Joseph Thambirajah  - RM500
9. Dr. Rabin - RM300
10. Lim Chin Kah - RM200
11. Norenshah-RM300
12. Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina - RM1,000
13. Ti-ratana MOW regular donors which we have potion out their donation for this cause.


Posted by: Kim
Pictures and video courtesy of Datin Seri's representatives.

MOW HAPPY CHILD - Family with sick child needs help

One of our MOW Food Bank family recipent, Fazilah Mohd Yusof's youngest daughter has been hospitalised at the pediatric ward in KL GH for almost 10 days with a very bad lung infection.

Siti Nurmaisara, 9 years old, suffers from cystic fibrosis which is a progressive, lifelong condition, in which the glands that produce mucus, sweat and intestinal secretions do not function properly. Thick mucus accumulates in the lungs, leading to breathing difficulty and infection. It also impairs digestion, which makes it difficult for Nurmaisara to get the necessary nutrients to grow. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but supportive treatments are available to help improve quality of life.

I visited Nurmaisara at the ward this afternoon. I brought chicken rice lunch for the whole family as her other two daughters were also at the hospital since its Saturday and they are not in school. According to Fazilah, Nurmaisara is recovering from the lung infection but is still getting antibiotic treatment intravenously through her chest.

Fazilah herself looks exhausted from the long hours caring for her daughter, including sleeping at the hospital at night. She has two other school-going children whom she needs to care for, including cooking their meals. She does not have a regular paying job as she has to look after Nurmaisara, almost full-time. Her eldest daughter in Form 5 relieves the mother in the hospital on some nights, so that Fazilah is able to rest. The bus fare from her house to the hospital is RM2.50 one way. So between the two of them, bus fare works out to RM10-RM20 per day, depending on how many trips they make to the hospital. Although the transport cost puts additional stress on the RM400 she gets from the government social welfare in lieu of the youngest daughter's illness, this is just short term.

The more pressing issue is the cost to care for Nurmaisara long term. Because of her impaired digestive system, most of what she consumes pass through without much being absorbed, which means she goes to the toilet about 10-12 times a day!!! Doctor has prescribed a special milk called Peptamen Junior which helps in cases of malabsorption. She is currently being fed Peptamen in the hospital, 4 times a day with 4 scoops of milk powder in each serving. With this, Nurmaisara only goes to the toilet once a day.

Fazilah is now worried about how she is going to sustain her daughter on Peptamen once she is discharged from the hospital. A quick check at a pharmacy in Damansara Uptown indicated that the small tin above cost RM78 (I only saw this at the pharmacy. Not sure if there is a Junior version). With her current consumption, it will be almost a tin a week, or about RM300 a month.

If you or your friends know of anyone in Nestle from whom we can buy the milk at a discounted price, or if you would like to help Fazilah by donating Peptamen, regardless of how many tins, please contact June at trccpenchala@gmail.com or call Kim at 012-3036019.

On behalf of Fazilah and Nurmaisara, we would like to say a BIG THANK YOU in advance for your generous support.


Posted by Kim
Pictures courtesy of Kim

MOW FOOD BANK - Delivering groceries to the urban poor, Mar 2013

MOW volunteers delivered groceries to the 14 urban poor families in our MOW Food Bank program on 24th Mar 2013.

The groceries worth about RM100 per family comprise of rice, mihoon, instant noodles, Milo, flour, sardines, cream crackers, potatoes, eggs, bread, fresh vegetables and margarine/jam. These items will ensure the families especially those with children get the necessary nourishments.



As with previous months, the MOW volunteers were happy to do the delivery and the families were grateful for the groceries.

MOW Food Bank donors - SADHU SADHU SADHU for your continued support of these less fortunate families.

MOW Food Bank volunteers - We are thankful and truly appreciate your endless energy and dedication in delivering the groceries, and always with a SMILE:)



Posted by Kim
Pictures courtesy of Bro Ivan

MOW FOOD BANK - Groceries for the poor, Feb 2013

Fourteen MOW Food Bank families in Sentul, Setapak, Jinjang and Gombak received their monthly groceries on 24th Feb 2013.

The dedicated and passionate MOW volunteers spent their Sunday visiting and bringing groceries to these impoverished families. The joy and gratefulness expressed by the recipients bring great satisfaction to the volunteers, and it was certainly an activity worth spending their Sunday on.

The new family included in Feb Food Bank called me on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year, pleading for help. The 32 year old mother of four lives in PPR Desa Rejang. The husband abandoned the family about 10 months ago. She is a road sweeper bringing home RM450 a month. Since the departure of her husband, her two older children, aged 11 and 13 years, have stopped going to school as she no longer can afford to send them to school. Although primary and secondary education in Malaysia is free, there are various fees to be paid during the beginning of the school year, as well as bus fares to/from home to school. Her two other children are 4 and 5 years old.

A piece of good news to share ... one of the families in our Food Bank program, Rozana Dollah managed to get her 19 year old OKU daughter, Najiha, enrolled in the 6-months Economic Empowerment program in Rumah Amal Cheshire, Selayang. This is to enable her daughter to learn to be independent, especially when Rozana is no longer around to care for her. It is a live-in program, whereby Najiha stays at Cheshire from Monday to Friday. On Friday evening, her mother will take her home, and send her back to Cheshire on Sunday evening. The fees for the boarding program is RM600 a month (reduced to RM300 from Feb onwards after Rozana appealed on compassionate grounds), while the transport to/from Cheshire in Selayang and Desa Rejang cost Rozana RM50 a week. She only makes RM700 a month as a school cleaner. Fortunately, we managed to find a donor who has committed to pay the fees from Jan to June 2013. When I told her the good news and reimbursed her for the RM600 Jan fees she has paid, she couldn't believe it. She kept asking me "Betul ke Puan? Banyak sangat la Puan. Terima kasih banyak-banyak Puan." Her voice was breaking and she was almost in tears ... I could feel her relief and gratefulness. At that moment, I felt soooo good as the bearer of the good news and the RM600 cash:) The RM50 a week or RM200 a month transport cost is also a big burden on Rozana, and we are still seeking a donor for this. If you wish to help, please contact June at trccpenchala@gmail.com.

It is experiences like this which makes the MOW volunteers go back month after month to help these families ... the feel-good factor knowing you have made a mother, a kid, a family ... happy, relief and grateful.

Thank you to all MOW Food Bank volunteers and donors for showing that you care!


Posted by Kim
Pictures courtesy of Bro Ivan

MOW FOOD BANK - Delivering groceries to the urban poor

It was MOW Food Bank's first delivery for the year 2013, and it was done by seven MOW team members and volunteers on Sunday, 20th January 2013. We congregated at our Penchala centre at 11am and by the time we completed the deliveries, it was almost 3pm. We were exhausted and hungry but in high spirits ... our efforts in that 4 hours meant that these families will at least have nutritious food on the table for 2-3 weeks.

The mothers and their children came out in full force to greet us ... the "older" families hugged and kissed us, while the newer families were a little shy at first and remained in the background. But one thing for sure is, they were all happy to receive us!

Even the children "salam" with us.

The mothers received groceries worth about RM100 each, and the children received angpows from Brother Ivan.

Catherine interviewed the families, about their background and circumstances, as well as their views on the groceries we are providing, and other assistance needed.

Deliveries were done in three areas, and the first stop was Jinjang ...

Chloe, who is an orphan, showed us a picture of her beloved parents while her brother Lucas' attention was 100% on the new toy he just received from us. They live with their grandmother, and their aunt visits regularly.

Wena and her son Fei Hoong came down to the carpark and collected their groceries.

Then we moved on to PPR Desa Rejang in Setapak, where 6 families were eagerly waiting for us at the gazebo, our usual meeting and delivery point.

Aida came with all her 4 children ...

Fazidah's two beautiful girls ...

Susan came alone as her elderly mother is too frail to walk. Rozana came with both her girls, but her OKU girl refused to be photographed. Nurjalila actually lives in Wangsa Maju but made the trip to Desa Rejang to collect the groceries. Two other families could not make it, and their groceries were left with Aida who delivered to their flats later.

Next stop was PPR Taman Melati in Gombak where Fazilah, Zabiyah and Padmini, and their children live.

The children enjoying lollipops ...

... and so was Bro Ivan!

The Maran family in Sentul was not at home on that Sunday, and their groceries was delivered by Kim on Wed, 23rd Jan. Vijaya was at home with her paraplegic son, Sasi, as her husband was at work and the other children in school. We actually woke Vijaya when we arrived at her doorstep at 8:30am bearing the boxes of groceries. She was coughing and not feeling well, but still gamed enough to oblige us with a picture.

A BIG THANK YOU to our generous donors to the MOW Food Bank program, without whom the program would not have been possible.



Posted by Kim
Pictures courtesy of Bro Tommy & Kim

MOW FOOD BANK - Profile of families supported & sponsors

Latest update on sponsors (8 Feb 2013)

Since posting the families profile on our MOW blog, generous individuals/organizations have offered to sponsor the families in our Food Bank program. Here is the list of families and their sponsors:

Family No. 1: Sarapathy Manimaran - Yu Chee Koon (Jan-Dec 2013)

Family No. 2: Zaibyah Mohd Zain - Ian Goh (Jan-Feb 2013), Tan Kai Ming (Mar-Dec 2013)

Family No. 3: Padmini - Dr Rabin (Feb-Dec 2013)

Family No. 4: Chok Chee Wah - Jenny Chong (Jan 2013), Stone Empire (Feb-Dec 2013)

Family No. 5: Fazilah Mohd Yusof - Kim (Jan 2013), Stone Empire (Feb-Dec 2013)

Family No. 6: Wena Sembiring - Stone Empire (Feb-Dec 2013)

Family No. 7: Nor Aida Mustapha - Joyce Ong (Jan-Dec 2013)

Family No. 8: Bashirah Dahlan - Stone Empire (Feb-Dec 2013)

Family No. 9: Rozana Dollah - Stone Empire (Feb-Dec 2013)

Family No. 10: Linda Khong - Stone Empire (Feb-Dec 2013)

Family No. 11: Susan Thor - Celine Yong Chooi Ping (Jan-Dec 2013)

Family No. 12: Fazidah Aljunid - Khor Hung Jooi (Jan-May 2013)

Family No. 13: Norjalila Zainal - Ow Yong Hoong Peen (Jan-May 2013)

Some of the families have sponsorship for several months of this year only. If you wish to sponsor one or more of these families for the rest of the year, please email us at trccpenchala@gmail.com, and let us know which family(s) you would like to sponsor and for how many months.

On behalf of these families, we thank you for your support and care for their livelihood.

________________________________________________________________________

MOW Food Bank program commenced in Sep 2012 with 4 families. The program helps people who are not able to cope with the high cost of living in Klang Valley, by providing nourishment to their families, especially those with school-going children and elderly folks.

From January 2013, MOW Food Bank will provide monthly groceries to 13 poor families, all of whom have been screened for eligibility by the MOW committee. The groceries which include rice, flour, sugar, mee hoon, biscuits, etc, cost about RM100 per family per month. Of the 13 families, Families No. 5, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are currently sponsored by individual sponsors, while the cost for groceries for the other 8 families are paid for from TRCC general fund.

A brief profile of each of the 13 families are given below. If you would like to lend a helping hand and support one or more of these families in the MOW Food Bank program, please email us at trccpenchala@gmail.com, and let us know which family you would like to sponsor and for how many months.

Thank you for your generosity and kindness. With your support, these families will have food on their table and their children have a chance to make something of their lives.