Trading hope: Ayesha showing her personal Pokemon card collection, which she is selling to raise funds to participate in the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian mission to Gaza early next year. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: It’s never easy to let go of something you love, especially when it carries memories and has sentimental value. But for Sabah-born Ayesha Assilla Watuna, the decision was clear.
She is selling her personal collection of rare, limited-edition and hard-to-find Pokemon cards to raise funds to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is expected to conduct its next humanitarian mission to Gaza early next year.
Pokemon is a popular Japanese media franchise centred around creatures called Pokemon.
The franchise includes anime, a trading card game, movies and other merchandise.
Ayesha owns more than 3,000 cards featuring the colourful animated characters that shaped her childhood. The 30-year-old homemaker said the idea to part with her Pokemon trading card game collection came after seeing many Malaysian women step forward and make sacrifices to help the people of Palestine.
“I want to show that I can contribute something meaningful to society, and that makes everything worthwhile. I’ll also be able to tell my children a meaningful story when they grow up... that I once sold my Pokemon cards so I could set foot in Palestine to help those in need,” she told Bernama.
Ayesha began selling the cards online and at a weekend night market stall in Taman Melawati here in late October.
She has so far raised more than RM15,000 from the sales, with her cards priced from RM2 to several thousand ringgit each.
“I am determined to channel 100% of the proceeds to the Global Sumud Flotilla fund.
“I don’t mind selling every card I own, even the ones I’m reluctant to part with,” she said, adding that she also has a Pokemon edition that is only sold in Japan.
