Striving to keep flow of charity

Great Heart Charity Association assisting a family in need with daily supplies.

“WHEN I saw the news on the imposition of Phase One of the National Recovery Plan, the anxiety in my heart was the same as that in March last year, because I expected many low-income people to once again face unemployment.”

Those are the words of Jeff Tan, a member of the review team of the Great Heart Charity Association (GHCA), recollecting his reaction a month ago.

“As social workers, the first step is to contact those in need.

“We don’t want to see the poor suffering from hunger and homelessness.

“Some of the poor families have critically ill family members, and the most notable among these are dialysis patients.

“The monthly cost of dialysis can be as high as RM1,500, and there is also the cost of medication and injections.

“Many poor patients choose to give up dialysis during these times to relieve the burden on their families,” he said.

GHCA’s Kidney Dialysis Support Programme has used up the most funds compared with other charitable projects the association undertook, said Tan.

“But we hope patients who need dialysis can continue treatment and not give up on life.”

He said GHCA has seen a reduction in donations from the public and enterprises since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Malaysia.

Fortunately, he said, some kidney patients and impoverished families helped by the NGO have successfully applied for government subsidies while a few found jobs to improve their income.

One success story is of a deaf-mute couple from Melaka with four children who, with help from GHCA, started a burger stall.

However, in October last year, the husband died in a motorcycle accident. His wife, who was eight months pregnant then, was determined to provide for her children.

So GHCA sponsored her supplies for six months during this period as well as six months after she gave birth. She continues to provide for her children.

“Our ultimate goal is for the beneficiaries to be self-reliant,” said Tan.

Another of GHCA’s aid recipient is a 62-year-old kidney patient who became blind due to diabetes.

Her son, having lost a leg in a car accident in 2017, works hard to collect recyclable items to sell.

Her daughter-in-law stopped selling fruit in 2020 due to the movement control order, and went to work as a dishwasher with a monthly salary of RM200. This greatly affected the family’s income and made it difficult for them to pay for dialysis treatment.

GHCA sponsors the monthly dialysis costing RM720.

In the year-and-a-half since the Covid-19 outbreak, benevolent people have come forward to help, said Tan.

“They include an individual from Singapore, who has been providing dialysis support and emergency assistance for families in need,” he added.

GHCA’s head of the review team, Joshua Lim said, “We are moved seeing our beneficiaries striving to improve themselves and be independent. This inspires us to keep looking forward.

“We are also very grateful to the donors.”

He added that GHCA would continue to assist poor families to apply for government subsidies, and collaborate with other organisations to provide employment.”

For details, visit www.greatheartcharity.org.my, email [e-mail] or call 03-5131 6107.