PETALING JAYA: On the streets of Kuala Lumpur, the homeless call her “Mummy”.
To them, Cyndi Yong, 57, is more than someone who hands out food. She is a friend, a listener and a source of hope during their darkest days.
Yong began reaching out to homeless people six years ago after the Covid-19 pandemic brought her tourism career to an abrupt halt.
“I was in the tourism line, bringing VIPs around Kuala Lumpur. I call myself a workaholic because I can work 100 days straight without feeling tired,” she said in an interview.
“But then the pandemic hit and took that away. People couldn’t travel and I became jobless,” she recalled.
One day, she took her then nine-year-old daughter to Petaling Street.
“To my shock, bustling Petaling Street was so quiet as no businesses were running. But more homeless people were showing up on the streets,” she said.
Yong turned her attention to those who had lost even more than here. From then on, she stepped out of her home every day to meet them, while adhering to pandemic restrictions.
But her goal was never simply to feed them.
“Food is just a bridge for me to connect with them,” she said.
“I would sit with them, ask about their lives and listen to them. They would share about how they ended up here, who they had lost and their dreams for the future.”
Some were former prisoners or had struggled with drug addiction, she said.
Yong encouraged them to turn their lives around, telling them to stop stealing, taking drugs and engaging in other harmful activities.
Before long, they began calling her “Mummy”.
“They don’t have family or anyone with them anymore, so I’m like their mother. I’m home to them,” she said.
“I have scolded them when their place is untidy or when they get into negative thinking,” she said, adding that she had also helped some find simple jobs when they were willing to change their lives.
“They have also encouraged me. We lift each other up to get through the darkest periods of our lives.”
Her team now includes former homeless people who contribute what they can or help prepare and wrap food.
Meals are prepared by small business owners for about 80 to 100 people, with Yong making sure the food is varied and of good quality.
Her outreach covers Brickfields, Chow Kit and Pudu, with volunteers from universities and corporations regularly joining her.
The Star Golden Hearts Award (SGHA) returns for its 12th edition this year to honour extraordinary individuals and organisations whose compassion and selfless service continue to uplift communities and change lives across the country.
Nominations for SGHA 2026 are open until Aug 23. Members of the public are invited to nominate individuals and organisations that have dedicated at least 18 months to serving their communities.
SGHA seeks to recognise work that goes beyond good intentions, particularly efforts that are innovative, sustainable and have delivered meaningful results.
For nomination and eligibility details, visit www.sgha.com.my
