Going the extra mile: Hon (left) and his wife (on Hon’s left) with Sophia (middle) and her parents standing outside her home in a village located more than an hour away from Waingapu in Sumba Island in Indonesia.
SEREMBAN: Her long lost family in a remote part of Indonesia has often been on her mind but she was in the dark on how to reach out to them.
Little did Sophia know that the long road home began right here in the house of a Malaysian couple whom she works for.
It’s a tale of kindness and compassion that began when the maid spoke of her longing to be reunited with her family.
This led to her employer going to great lengths in the search of her house in Indonesia, even accompanying her on the journey home.Former Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim said Sophia worked diligently for his family for 11 years.
One day, Sophia told them of her wish to return home as she had not heard from her family for years.
Hon tried contacting the agent who brought her to Malaysia, but to no avail.
Next, he thought of seeking help from the Indonesian embassy to make the necessary arrangements, but later decided to repay her kindness by doing it himself with his wife.
When he asked Sophia if she had any contact persons back home, she couldn’t provide any information.
She had only been in contact with an aunt after her arrival, but lost touch after a while.
“I asked about her kampung (village) and she murmured something that I could not catch.
“She then showed me a piece of paper with the words ‘Waingapu’ and ‘Jalan Umalulu’ scribbled on it,” he said.
Hon, 75, said he discovered that Waingapu was the largest town in Sumba Island in East Nusa Tenggara.
The only way to get there from Kuala Lumpur was to fly to Bali and then take another one hour and 40-minute flight to Waingapu.
“My wife and I contacted a friend to accompany us.
“We agreed to bear the cost because we were worried about Sophia,” he said.
Another task was to get Sophia’s passport renewed.
Hon said they flew to Bali on Sept 1 and spent a night in Denpasar before continuing their journey to Waingapu.
When they got to the island, they rented a car and began looking for Sophia’s village.
“We stopped at many places to ask the locals, giving whatever little information that Sophia could remember.”
Coincidentally, they met Sophia’s uncle during one of the stops.
“He directed us to her village,” he said.
The village, he said, was located on the outskirts of Waingapu. It was more than an hour’s drive from town.
Hon said he was touched when Sophia’s surprised parents embraced their daughter the moment they saw her.
“She comes from a poor family and they do not even have piped water or other basic facilities.
“They grow padi and vegetables on small plots, and they have poultry and livestock for sustenance,” he said.
Hon said they returned to their hotel the same night with Sophia and helped her open a bank account to remit her savings.
They took her shopping as well where they got her a new phone, toiletries and other stuff.
Hon said they offered to open a small business for Sophia, who had three older siblings, so that she could continue to provide for her parents.
“We sent her back to her village the following day and stayed for another night in Waingapu.”
Waingapu, he said, was a scenic place with friendly and helpful people.
“We flew to Bali the next day, spent one night on the island and then flew back home,” he said.
Hon said that it did not matter to him that he spent thousands of ringgit to help Sophia return to her home as she has been like a family member to him.
