By Vincent D’Silva

Malaysians have demonstrated a remarkable level of kindness in helping each other cope during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stories of people coming together to provide some form of relief have been abundant lately, especially since the White Flag movement made its mark on social media.

Helping others should come naturally. It shouldn’t be a question of “why should I do it”, but “how can I do it”.

Some people are less fortunate; life is not kind to all of us. While you might be lucky enough to live a comfortable life, others don’t have a roof over their head or food to put on the table.

You won’t be able to help everyone in need, but your gesture, no matter how small, will definitely make a difference.

Helping others is not always about giving them money or material things. Some people just need a shoulder to cry on or some good advice. And you don’t necessarily have to be friends with someone to be there for them. This is simply about being human and caring about other people’s well-being.

It really doesn’t matter who you are or how much you have to offer. Be kind just for the sake of it and expect nothing in return.

Among those who are going out of their way to help fellow Malaysians is 42-year-old Farrah Faridah Baptist, who has been providing humanitarian and disaster relief to those affected.

“One of the most important aspects of progression in all spheres of life is the offering and provision of service to others without any thought whatsoever of reward or self-gratification,” said Farrah.

Currently she heads an NGO known as ‘Ihsan Johor Relief’ which was formed in 2016.

She said selfless service is absolutely fundamental, both from an individual perspective and from the perspective of the entire human race, without which there can be no true progression.

The word “No” has never existed in her dictionary and upon receiving the first call from her mobile phone she is already on the go to assist.

She has been championing the cause through her NGO since she joined in 2018.

She has been working tirelessly for this cause and has pushed the envelope by even spending days living with people in the slum areas or roads in various parts of Johor and the country.

What stands out as a noble commitment is that she reaches out to the needy and B40 group every week without fail.

Internationally, Ihsan Johor Relief was involved in the Pakistan Flood Relief and they are still continuing its post recovery and rehabilitation where they had assisted the affected flood communities with eight water hand pumps.

“Our task did not end there as in February this year we had assisted the government under Rakan Nadma for Turkiye Syria Earthquake victims during the Ramadan month,” she remarked.

Farrah Faridah described helping those in distress and in need as a calling for her.

“I believe it’s my calling. When I am involved I realized that this was something I am happy doing and this is my passion – helping and assisting the penurious and those in suffering,” she said.

During the recent floods in Segamat, Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang and Perak she went on her mission again. Her NGO provided aid for almost 5,000 families. They provided blankets, mattresses and food rations to some 20,000 people affected by the floods.

She said, “With a collaboration and support from organizations like Yayasan UEM, Yayasan Hasanah, Yayasan TM, fellow NGO partners and individual donors we are able to provide relief to the relevant group of affected communities.”

Over the years in doing her social work she feels that finance is considered a top priority for an NGO to get going with all its projects. She believes that they need the support from the public so that they can continue providing aid and assistance to the needy and affected.

“The utmost matter is to benefit and impacting others so any form or kind of assistance for example volunteering your time and expertise or even your asset,” she stressed.

She also agreed that the top three priorities for ensuring that the NGO is able to function are mandate, teamwork and financial/funding. She knows without these things it will be tough to ensure the NGO strives on.

For Farrah, her volunteers mostly have their own work or career and sometimes she does get students to assist.

She said that most of them have their own preference of time and availability using this platform to contribute back to society.

However, Farrah has no qualms whenever disaster or tragedy strikes as they would get a steady flow of volunteers.

She believes that this is a collective effort and you need passion and teamwork to assist others. And they need to multi-task when they set upon a mission.

For Farrah, this is her calling as she feels she got involved because this was something she enjoyed doing in the long-term. “You will achieve what you want to achieve, only if you can cope with the theory of altruism,” she said.

On challenges she faces in line of her work, Farrah lamented, “Challenges will come and go but you need to strive on and improve.”

She knows that challenges do exist but one needs to brainstorm together and seek the best option to handle the situation with less risk and impact to the operation.

During the pandemic she had sleepless nights going all out and not failing to pick up the phone at every ring to answer to peoples’ needs and assistance.

“Once after handing out rations and you are back at your centre, and all of a sudden you get the next phone call seeking help and there you are on the move again,” she said.

Farrah described helping those less fortunate among us as a calling for her.

“We all together can make a noticeable difference in society. I have had the good fortune to help people and you can also get inner joy by helping. When we help someone, a positive message goes on in this nature,” she said.

When asked what support would you expect from the government and the private sector, she quipped, “Togetherness and openness not withstanding political or religious believes for the benefit for others and communities.”

Not mincing her words, she said one of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.

For Farrah as long as her NGO is around she will continue focusing on humanitarian and disaster relief/management besides their normal routine in helping the needy.

She also pointed out that they will support the government initiatives towards environment especially on climate change effort.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, she said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

“Be the help to humanity, be the might to humanity, be the light to humanity and be 999 to humanity,” she added.