tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54249762983364706902024-03-13T20:54:15.554+08:00Pi's T W I S TThe Way I See ThingsPi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.comBlogger948125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-2550922967639911412021-05-08T16:59:00.001+08:002021-05-08T17:03:37.515+08:00Lin... after 14 years<p style="text-align: justify;">Those of you who had been following my blog when blogs were the "in" thing back then, may be familiar with the name Lin as one of the characters in my blog. Can't recall? Try Mr Darling's ex-wife instead. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">When I first started blogging in March 2007, Lin was not yet in the picture. She was referred to Buddies during one HIV clinic in 2006, but I wasn't on duty then and she told my fellow volunteers on duty that she wasn't ready to be assigned a buddy. So they just gave her my phone number. Her contact report prepared by the volunteers on duty was then filed under "Buddies not required".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Some time towards the end of 2007, I got a text message in the middle of the night while I was asleep. Being the light sleeper that I was (and still am), the SMS tone on my phone woke me up. My reading glasses was nowhere near, all I could figure out from the message was that it had something to do with Buddies. I only properly read the message when I woke up in the morning. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Saya Lin (<i>bukan nama sebenar</i>), Saya nak tanya macam mana nak join Buddies.'</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I wasn't really sure if she wanted to join Buddies as a volunteer, or if she actually needed our support services. So I asked if she wanted to become a volunteer. And her reply came... </p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Bukan. Saya ada HIV. Dapat dari suami yang tak bertanggungjawab. Saya rasa tertekan sangat..."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It took her more than a year after she was given my number by my fellow volunteers before she finally decided to take that first step to contact me. I guess she was so depressed she just needed someone to talk to. I am just amazed she actually still kept my number after more than a year. She had probably wanted to contact me earlier but found it difficult to make that first move.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We finally planned to meet up. And despite that being the first time we met, we actually hit it off on the right note from day one. She openly talked to me about her problems etc and at the end of just one meet, she said she felt much better already. Indeed, all she needed was just someone to talk to. With 6 children age ranging from 10 - 20, and her ex-hubby always finding excuses why he couldn't give more money for the children, Lin had a tough time trying to make ends meet. She herself only went to school up to standard 6, and never worked before. She ended up working at a restaurant, washing the dishes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">When she started with her first HIV medication, she had side effects so severe, she had to be warded for quite some time. She had to quit her job. But she's not a quitter. She just needed someone to be there for moral support, and that was where I came in.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">When I first met her, the eldest just got an offer to further her studies at a nursing school. No. 2 was offered to study medic overseas. No. 3 was waiting for her SPM results. The other 3 were still in school. The monthly financial aid she was getting from Baitulmal was not enough. Buddies helped her out with the younger children's schooling needs. I also visited her regularly on a monthly basis, sending her groceries sponsored by members a club.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">After her divorce, initially she stayed at her father's kampong house, together with her father. But her father had transferred the house to her eldest brother's name, thinking he'd be the best person to handle the property after he dies. When the father died, the brother decided to sell the house. Lin of course couldn't afford to buy it, so she had to move out, renting a house in the same town. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lin started selling pisang goreng at a friend's food stall. Business was good, to the extent that the friend felt it would be more profitable for him if he sold pisang goreng himself. So Lin had to stop selling pisang goreng there. She then attended a 3 months course at Giat Mara, learning how to sew. She made full use of the 3 months there. From then on, she started making an income from home, using her sewing skills, mainly sewing baju kurung. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One by one, her children started working, including one who became a doctor. I even attended the wedding of 2 of her children. I visited her less and less since she became more and more independent and I needed to spend more time on other clients needing attention.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After a while we lost contact. I lost my phone, with her number in it. And apparently she too lost my number and was unable to contact me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That was until about 2 years ago, when during a function with another NGO I was involved in, Lin's 3rd daughter who was there manning a stall, came to me to ask if I remembered her. It took me a while but I finally remembered that familiar face. That was when I got Lin's number again and we're back in touch, albeit occasionally.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I did visit her at her new home once during Raya. But last year with start of the Covid pandemic, we didn't get to see each other. No visits and no family day either.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday she contacted me, asking me how I was doing. And she asked how to go about if she wanted to donate to Buddies. She also mentioned that during her last hospital appointment, the ID doctor asked if she'd consider becoming a peer support for fellow HIV+ women. But Lin claims she's too shy to speak to others. I suggested to her that she join Buddies as a volunteer this time so I could guide her. I hope to visit her one of these days to convince her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whatever it is, Lin has certainly come a long way. She had to go through various trials and tribulations but look where she is now. From someone who needed help, to someone who wants to help others.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lin is certainly no longer my client. She is now my FRIEND.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">p/s By the way, Lin now has 9 grand children!<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-89488168274285586732021-03-17T23:06:00.000+08:002021-03-17T23:06:09.370+08:00Dealing with the deaths of my PLHIV clients<p style="text-align: justify;">I lost another client recently. Just one week before her death she sent me a text message informing me that she had not submitted the back-to-school expenses for her youngest daughter yet because her daughter had applied for admission to Kolej Vokasional and so they were waiting for the results of her application before they start buying her school stuff. I just replied with a short "OK". 2 days later another message came in from her number, this time calling me "Puan Afizah", which seemed weird to me because this client would usually address me as Kak Afizah. Turned out the message was sent by client's daughter, informing me that her mother was hospitalised and was unconscious. Apparently earlier in the morning client had seizures repeatedly. The family had initially opted for traditional healing by bringing her to see an ustaz, but the ustaz instead told them to immediately bring her to the nearest hospital. Client never regained consciousness. One week later, her son called, to inform me that their mother had passed away.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At least this client's death came after her older son had started working. Only the youngest girl is still in school. Since she's covered by our Education Sponsorship Program, she will still get assistance under the sponsorship. But at least I don't have to worry about who's taking over as guardian. The girl herself is big enough to contact me directly if need be.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For some other cases of deaths of my clients, the children were all still in school. I had to follow up with family members to find out who's the guardian I needed to deal with, and whether or not we needed to continue giving them financial assistance.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first ever case that I was assigned to was Rose, who, by the time her case was passed to me, was already in stage 4 of cervical cancer. I helped her around for the last 2 months of her life as she was too weak to get around on her own, while her 3 children were all still in primary school. When her sister called me one morning to inform me about her death (which didn't come as a shock because she was already in the Palliative Care Unit), I immediately informed my fellow buddies who mostly knew Rose because she was one of Buddies' earliest clients. I was still relatively knew to Buddies then, and so the main concern the chairperson had then was how well I could cope when dealing with death. She was afraid I might break down like a few other volunteers had experienced before. Well, she found out that she didn't have to worry about me. Death is inevitable and something we must all learn to accept, and so emotionally I was okay even though Rose was the first of my clients who died.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In Rose's case, I had to follow up with the family members as to who would be taking over guardianship of the children. Rose had issues with her own siblings before, and I knew many of them weren't willing to take over the financial aspect of raising Rose's 3 children. When they told me that the children's paternal grandparents were to take over guardianship, I made it a point to visit them to assess if they needed financial help. They seemed financially stable, and the grandma assured me that they were more than willing to take care of the children.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then there was Lily's death. Her death came quite sudden as she actually died of dengue. All her 3 children were still in primary school. Their dad passed away earlier in the year. When her body was brought back to her kampong in another town, I followed the van from behind as I needed to find out which family member would be taking care of the children. I finally managed to get to speak to an uncle who said he'd be taking care of all 3 children. Later on he did call me to express his concern about how he should take care of the youngest boy, then only 5, who was born with HIV. While I assured him there shouldn't be any worries about the boy infecting others in the family, the uncle ended up listening to people around him who encouraged him to send the boy to a home for HIV kids, away from the boy's own siblings. I wonder how the boy is doing now. He should already be 18 or 19 this year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then there was Shila, another unexpected death. She died at home one morning of cardiac arrest. Nothing to do with her HIV. Shila had one child, then only 12. Initially when I went to visit at her kampong house which Shila had been staying all the while with her mother, I was just paying my respects and again, to find out who would be taking care of Shila's one and only daughter. I ended up with another role, handling the body of an HIV+ person, including bathing her. While I'm used to doing that for my own family members, that was a first for me doing so for a HIV+ client. Anyway, as I had expected, Shila's daughter continued staying at the same house, with her grandmother. And we continued helping her with her schooling needs until she completed her SPM. I did offer some help if she wanted to further her studies, but she gave all sorts of excuses and decided to work at a minimarket instead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another case was that of Sofie. Sofie's death quite frankly did not come as a shock to me. From day one I was introduced to her, she had always been this physically weak lady (but with high spirits). By the time she was diagnosed with HIV, her condition was already quite bad, and although she did try to fight it, it wasn't long before she finally succumbed to AIDS-related diseases. When she was alive, she already told me that if anything happened to her, there was only one sister she could trust. And yes, we did continue with financial help for the education of Sofie's 4 children through that sister. But when the sister moved back to her kampong in another state, together with Sofie's children, we lost contact. I did manage to get some updates on the children by searching on FB, and since one of the boys had set his FB privacy status to "public", it wasn't a problem for me to find out what's going on in their lives. I am happy to note that despite all the problems they had earlier, the kids are doing okay now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then there's Yah, another one of my problematic clients. Thank goodness life had improved a lot for her in the last few years of her life. Once she moved to her parent's kampong further away from Ipoh, I'd only see her and the children during December's back-to-school shopping, and once or twice during the Buddies Annual Family Day. But one of her daughters called me one morning to inform me that their mother had passed away the day before. I didn't go to visit this one. I knew the youngest girl, the only one still in school, was in the good hands of the older girls. We still continue with educational assistance for the youngest girl, given through the eldest sister who started working not long before their mother passed away.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So yes, for me, in dealing with the deaths of my clients, my main concern, and the main thing I need to follow up on, would be the children's wellbeing, especially their educational needs. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-2894843482018795562021-02-13T23:17:00.001+08:002021-02-13T23:21:59.870+08:00Wawa's story<div style="text-align: justify;">When Ipoh ID clinic first referred to me Wawa's case slightly over 2 years ago, the girl was only 19+, a few months short of 20. She was then warded for a miscarriage (unwed pregnancy), and it was only then she found out she was HIV+. Apparently just the year before she was also pregnant, and safely delivered a baby, but the baby was given up for adoption. Before I went to visit Wawa, the nurses from the ID Clinic cautioned me to go visit outside of visiting hours so that I wouldn't bump into her boyfriends (yes, plural). So yes, with special arrangement by the nurses, I went to visit the girl earlier, before visiting hours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had initially prepared myself to be meeting a girl who may be the "wild" type, given her background told to me earlier by the nurses (twice unwed pregnancies, multiple boyfriends etc). But when I met her, she seemed to be so polite, soft spoken and showed respect to her elders (at that particular time, I was the "elder" lah). After listening to her family background, I began to understand why.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wawa came from a broken family. Her parents were divorced since she was in her early teens. Parents went separate ways, both remarried new partners. Wawa had actually wanted to be with her mother, but her mother left her. She had been deprived of tender loving care since she was 14. Yes, she was still in touch with her father's side, but being in touch did not mean she got the much needed love. And so, she sought "love" from outside.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not really sure if she finished schooling, but by the time her case was referred to me, at such a tender age, she was already staying on her own, renting a room in Ipoh. When I asked her how she managed to support herself, pay for rent, food etc, she said, "<i>Adalah cara saya. Tu yang sekarang jadi macam ni.</i>" Yes, she "sold" herself for a living. To her, it was something she didn't want to, but had to do anyway to survive.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was pleased when she told me that she'd be staying with her father (in another state) once she got discharged from the ward. Even her grandma offered her a home after finding out that the girl was infected with HIV. I reminded her that there's always a blessing to everything and that if she ever needed help, she could contact me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She did stay with her father, but not for long. I guess having had her freedom for so long, she did not feel comfortable staying with her father and stepmother. She was back renting a room in Ipoh. And then... she started missing her hospital appointments... and she went missing from our radar... old number no longer in use.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The nurses did express their concern to me that the next time they'd get to see her, she'd be pregnant again. Given her lifestyle, that wouldn't be a surprise. And true enough, the next time they met her, which was last year, she was referred to them by the O&G department. She was pregnant again, and yes, another unwed pregnancy. At such a tender age of 21, she had been pregnant 3 times. This last one with a totally new boyfriend, who started to accompany her for her hospital appointments. He needed to be tested as well, and the last test done showed he was -ve. They then got engaged. Wawa by then had started working as a shop assistant at a shoe store.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, she was back under our radar. I kept reminding her not to miss any of her hospital or clinic appointments. We were all concerned because her viral load was very high, which wasn't a surprise given that she had defaulted her earlier appointments and treatments. This time not only her contact number was taken, but also the contact numbers of her father and her fiance.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A few months later, a doctor from a Klinik Kesihatan called me, asking if I could help find a shelter for a patient of hers, a pregnant HIV+ girl who had no money to go anywhere. After listening to the description given by the doctor, I thought the story sounded too familiar. I asked the doctor for the name of the patient she was talking about, lo and behold, it was this very same problematic girl. I told the doctor that I knew the girl and that I'd be calling the girl personally later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I called the girl and she told me about how her fiance forced her into having sex. She wanted to run away but by then she was no longer working and didn't have any money to go anywhere. She wasn't too keen about going to a shelter home. Remembering that her grandma once offered her a home, I asked if she'd like to stay with her grandma (the grandma stays in Perak but in another town). I offered to personally send her to <i>balik kampung</i> if she wanted to. But her grandma didn't know about her pregnancy and so she asked me to give her a few days, so she could talk to her grandma first.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I waited for a few days, she didn't contact me. I sent her a message, asking how she was doing. Apparently she was still staying with her fiance. The nurses at ID clinic, who weren't aware of the Klinik Kesihatan story, even told me that she went for her ID appointment together with her fiance, and they looked so <i>manja</i> together. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apparently they officially got married some time late last year. She no longer referred to him as "<i>tunang saya</i>" but instead "<i>suami saya</i>". But marriage didn't seem to be any better for her. She was still always seeking help for transport money when she needed to go for her appointments. Earlier this year I found out that she had missed her ID appointment despite asking me for transport money. When I asked her why she missed her appointment even after I had given her some money for her transport, she said she <i>balik kampung</i> after a fight with her husband.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aaahh... I get it. Everytime they fight, it's a "I don't want to see you anymore" situation. Then the next day she'd fall in love with him again after listening to his sweet talks. Repeat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got fed up of her asking me for transport money every time she had a hospital or clinic appointment. So I decided to give her a small but fixed amount at the end of each month to be used for her transport money. It seemed to work. She stopped asking for money for every single appointment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then suddenly she texted me today, asking if I could spare her RM10. She hadn't had anything to eat since morning, she didn't have any money in her hands and there wasn't any food at home either.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sigh...<br /></div><br />Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-62392657407149605912020-05-02T15:44:00.000+08:002020-05-02T15:47:59.191+08:00A different kind of Ramadhan<div style="text-align: justify;">
I joined Buddies of Ipoh some time in 2004. Initially I was just a
trainee volunteer, following the senior volunteers in their visits. By
2006 I started visiting my clients at their homes on my own. Gradually I
started to bring along trainee volunteers in my visits.<br />
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Since then, every Ramadan, without fail I'd be visiting the poor PLHIV
families assigned to me, delivering groceries courtesy of donors. Since
most of the clients assigned to me were from poor families, there were
quite a number of homes I had to visit. The more clients I was assigned
to, the more homes I visited.<br />
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Gradually, some of the families started to become more independent. The
number of visits then reduced. After I became the Buddies chairperson, I
did not visit the clients as often as I used to. But every Ramadan
WITHOUT FAIL I would be visiting the poor among my clients to deliver
them some goodies before Raya. I always made it a point to buy groceries
and deliver, rather than giving them cash, unless it was totally
necessary.<br />
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From 2006 to 2019, every Ramadan would be a busy month for me and my
Kenari, visiting clients all over Perak. My Kenari's mileage was always
higher in Ramadan (the other high-mileage month is during December's
back-to-school-shopping). Frankly, I always enjoyed the visits. I always
looked forward to my Ramadan visits. Not only did I get to reach
certain places in Perak that I hadn't been to before, every visit was an
eye-opener for me. Seeing for myself the trials and tribulations some
of these families had to go through, always made me feel humbled, and
thankful for the life Allah gave me.<br />
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</div>
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Then came 2020. The Movement Control Order came into effect in March,
and is still on-going now in the month of Ramadan. No home visits. No
visits even to the nearby Masjid. My tarawikh prayers are done on my own
at home. My Kenari's mileage this Ramadan is the lowest ever recorded.
The longest journey it made was to a hypermarket about 3 km away from
home.<br />
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So what happened to the poor PLHIV families I usually visit? Well, I
still get money coming in from donors to be distributed to these
families. While I usually make it a point to NOT give cash, this year I
had to make an exception. My clients are after all, from all over Perak,
and I can't be delivering groceries to them like I used to. I too had
to stay home. This year, for the first time, I had to transfer cash into
their bank accounts, and hope that they wouldn't be using the money for
anything other than necessary. Since quite a number of them had been
depending on daily wages to survive, having to stay at home meant they
had no income. So no, I doubt they'd be using the money for their wants
instead of their needs. Besides, I don't give them the cash in one big
sum. After a reasonable time, when more money came in, I gave the
clients some more. I doubt they'd have any "extra" to spend on anything
else.<br />
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I guess 2020 is my (and my Kenari's) rest year. I am sure there is a
hikmah to all these. Whatever it is, I am thankful that I am still able
to communicate with people from all over despite having to just stay at
home.<br />
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It's up to us now to not make the situation worse. Let's continue to do
things we've been trained to do during MCO (social distancing, washing
of hands etc). Let's all pray that things will get much better soon,
insyaaAllah.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-77991048683114956382019-11-03T17:14:00.000+08:002019-11-03T17:14:15.621+08:00The Success Stories<div style="text-align: justify;">
Way back in 2004, I was looking around for NGOs I could join so that I could give back to the society in whatever ways possible, however small. I did join a few NGOs earlier but their activities weren't really what I was looking for. When someone told me about a support group for People Living With HIV (PLHIV), desperately looking for female Malay volunteers, I was intrigued. Apparently at that time, Buddies of Ipoh, did not have a single female Malay volunteer, yet they had so many female Malay clients (clients here meaning PLHIV who agreed to accept the support service from Buddies). Not that my non-Malay colleagues didn't want to become the assigned buddy to these ladies, but sometimes these ladies themselves, being sensitive about their HIV status, would feel more comfortable talking to another female Malay, and especially so when they wanted to talk about religious matters. Not that I'm that highly knowledgeable when it comes to Islam, but at least the clients could talk about it if they wanted to.</div>
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I've been with Buddies for 15 years now. I've lost track of how many clients had been assigned to me in total. Some have passed away. Among others... Ros, Lily, Rina, Shila, Sofie... and most recently Zana & Yah. They were among the first few cases assigned to me.</div>
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Ever since I was put in charge of the Education Sponsorship program, I got to know even more clients, including those who had been assigned other volunteers as their buddies. For those with children covered by this sponsorship program, I'd need to follow up with them so I could give a progress report to the various sponsors. While not all of the sponsored children completed their studies, today I'd like to share a few success stories.</div>
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When Fuzi's case was first assigned to me, her eldest child was still in primary school. Fuzi had to face so many difficulties, including getting MyKad for her kids. While their father was Malaysian, the marriage in Thailand was never registered in Malaysia until after his death. When the kids needed to get their MyKad done, being accompanied by an Indonesian mother didn't help. Thank goodness after a whole lot of trouble, the marriage got registered and the children got their MyKad (except for the youngest boy, but that's a different story altogether). Fuzi's eldest child, Wina, had always been the responsible type. She was among the first 8 children covered by the education sponsorship program when it started off in 2008. And the girl certainly made good use of the sponsorship. After SPM, she was offered a place at a matriculation college, and then later she was accepted at a local university. I personally sent her to register at the university up north. She graduated with a degree in accountancy, and even invited me to go for her convocation. I had something else on, so I didn't go. Besides, I wanted it to be more of a family affair for them, to celebrate her success, and hopefully, to inspire her younger siblings. Now, she's capable of taking care of her family, and I no longer have to visit the family on monthly basis to send them groceries, like I used to do some years ago.</div>
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Then there was Aini, who had 3 kids still in primary school when she was first diagnosed HIV+. Her husband died not long after he was diagnosed. Although initially Aini was working and able to financially support her children, her workplace later shut down and she was left jobless. Things then became worse when she was also found to have kidney problems as well, needing dialysis. Needless to say, her children too were covered by the education sponsorship program. After SPM, the eldest girl always sought my advice when it came to the courses she could apply for. She was finally offered a place to do a diploma course at a polytechnic up north. I remember one year, when she was still studying, she texted me, saying "<i>Mama dah tenat</i>". I was at the airport then, about to go for umrah, so all I could offer her was my prayer. Even the doctors told her that her mama's condition was 50-50. Seriously, I thought I would be getting sad news before my flight back to Malaysia. But guess what? Aini actually got better and even attended the girl's convocation a few years ago. As for her 2 younger boys, they didn't do well academically but did go for short skill-training courses and are both working now. Aini no longer has to worry about financial problems.</div>
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Another case identified for the education sponsorship was Mala, who was first diagnosed with HIV way back in 1997 when Buddies was still a wing under the Perak Family Health Association (Buddies registered as a society on its own only in 2004). She had 2 little boys then, both not even old enough to enter school yet. Based on public perception back then, nobody (not even Mala herself) would have thought that she would live long enough to see her sons finish school. I must give her credit for bringing up 2 well mannered boys. Both boys did well in school and although I'm not their mother's assigned buddy, both of them would consult me when it came to their higher education. The older boy even called to thank me before he boarded the bus to go to a matriculation college. He later entered a local university, graduated with an accounting degree and is now working with a highly reputable company. The younger boy also consulted me after SPM about his studies. He later took form 6 and was later offered a place at a local university, doing Electronic and Instrumentation Physics. Before he left to register at the university, he texted me to thank me for the help given, and promised to keep me in the loop about his progress. Just yesterday I was informed that he too has graduated with a degree. Mala not only got to see her sons finish school. She had already attended her older son's convocation a few years ago, and will be attending the convocation of her younger son this month!</div>
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These are a few of the success stories that have kept me going with this voluntary work. We do have a few other children who used to be under the sponsorship program, who are now studying at various local universities and colleges, so yes, I do expect more good news in future. Hopefully the 30 children who are currently being covered under the sponsorship program will also become successful one day and will be able to not only support their own family, but also to assist other children in the same predicament they had been through.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-66482326598047088622019-09-07T17:41:00.002+08:002019-09-08T10:36:30.488+08:00A 4D3N Nature & Adventure Retreat in Khao Sok<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When my adventure-loving friends joined me for a 4D3N trip
to Khao Sok recently, I got asked how I found out about the place. It started some
time back when AA had their RM0 airfare promo. I noticed that one of the
destinations with such offer was to Surat Thani. I then started to google for
“things to do in Surat Thani” and top on the list was Khao Sok National Park.
So I googled more about Khao Sok National Park and “treehouse accommodation”
attracted my eye. That was how I found out about Our Jungle House, our place of
stay for the 3 nights we were in Khao Sok recently.</div>
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By the time we decided to make this trip, AA no longer had
direct flights to Surat Thani. The nearest airports with direct flights from KL
would be either Phuket or Krabi, with another 2 – 2 ½ hour drive to Khao Sok.
We opted for Phuket. However, beginning September this year, you can fly direct
to Surat Thani from KL via AA. If you love nature & adventure, then I’d
certainly recommend you to this place. </div>
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Day 1, 30<sup>th</sup> August 2019: Due to the recent system
breakdown at KLIA & KLIA2, passengers were advised to get to the airport as
early as 4 hours before our flights. Our flight was at 7.10 am, and so based on
that logic, we should be at the airport by 3 am. I had however booked my Ipoh-KLIA2
bus earlier, expected to arrive KLIA2 at 4.45 am. I had ample time to print my
luggage tag & check-in my luggage before meeting up with the rest of the
gang. By 5.30am, we started moving in to the International Departure hall, went
through immigrations etc and performed our subuh prayer.</div>
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Our flight was on time, reached Phuket International Airport
earlier than ETA, but as we landed, it rained heavily, thus began our Let’s Get
Wet holiday in Thailand.</div>
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I had earlier arranged with Our Jungle House for airport
transfer so we wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost. As we had 10 pax in
the group, the person I was liaising with via email, advised that I should take
2 vans. I was told that someone will hold a card with my name on it. As we
exited the airport, we saw this...</div>
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I was expecting 2 vans, but instead we got a single 11
seater van which was comfortable enough for us and despite our luggage being
full of food stuff (mostly instant noodles & rice – we knew there wasn’t
any halal restaurant in Khao Sok), there was enough space for all of us plus
our luggage. After about a 2 hour drive, we reached our destination... Our
Jungle House.</div>
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My first impression? Love it! My kinda place.</div>
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We arrived around 11.30 am, and initially we were told that
our rooms weren’t ready yet (check in was supposed to be at 2 pm), but as we
were making plans to walk around the place, we were told that our rooms were
ready. So off to our rooms we went. 4 of us at Half Moon treehouse, and the other
6 at Happynest treehouse. It rained on and off, so after checking into our
rooms, and after our zohor/asar prayer, we just relaxed in our rooms, waiting
for the rain to subside.</div>
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When we thought that the rain had finally subsided, we
planned to walk to Khao Sok town, about 20 minutes walk from Our Jungle House.
But just as we were getting prepared to go out, it rained again. We were not
going to let the rain dampen our holiday spirits, and although the treehouses
we stayed in had beautiful views of the cliff and soothing sounds of the jungle
and the river, we decided to put on our raincoats/ponchos and take that walk to
town. One of the gang even brought along her umbrella. Those without
raincoats/ponchos, could easily buy one at the reception for only 40 baht.</div>
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After maghrib/isya prayers, we started preparing our dinner
of either instant noodles or rice. Knowing that no kettles are provided in the
rooms, I brought along my collapsible travel kettle (capacity 600ml). I
personally only needed the kettle to prepare hot drinks. For food, I only
brought along Kembara’s self-heating rice with either beef or chicken. The 4
occupants of Half Moon then headed over to Happynest<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(with our instant food and all) to join the
gang there for dinner. And since it was the eve of Malaysia’s National Day, we
took a group photo together with the Malaysian flag which I had brought along
for the trip.</div>
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Day 2, 31<sup>st</sup> August 2019: Merdeka! Merdeka!
Merdeka! At the reception as we were getting ready to go for our first tour,
the Full Day Lake Tour, we met the GM of Our Jungle House, Gonthong, or GT,
who’s married to a Malaysian and has stayed in Malaysia for quite a number of
years before moving back to Thailand. Having stayed that long in PJ, she certainly
sounded like a Malaysian when she spoke. When she found out that a group of
Malay ladies were staying at Our Jungle House, her main concern was how we were
going to survive without any halal restaurants around. Little did she know that
we came fully prepared! GT was kind enough to offer to snap a group photo of
us, again with the flag, but this time by the river. (the night before I had
the help of my mini-tripod and used the timer to have a group photo taken)</div>
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We then started our tour in a 14 seater van. Other than the
driver & the 10 of us in the group, we had Ed, our guide for the tour, and
2 other tourists from the same resort, an Italian guy and his Turkish
girlfriend/wife. Before the journey began, we were asked about any special food
requirements, and we were happy to note that they would provide halal food for lunch.
And since the Turkish girl doesn’t eat pork, she was also a perfect match for
our group.</div>
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After about an hour drive or so, we had a short stop at a
small town before heading to the pier of Khao Sok National Park, to buy some
tid bits. We bought some Thai desserts and a few also bought langsat. Upon reaching
the pier, we had to purchase the entrance ticket to Khao Sok National Park @
300 baht each, before getting on to the boat.</div>
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Halfway through the boat ride, the boat stopped in the
middle of the Cheow Lan lake, and Ed the guide told us to put on our
raincoats/ponchos, as we could see heavy rain looming ahead. Yep, just like day
1, day 2 was also going to be a wet day for us. Ah well... Let’s Get Wet was
printed on our tshirt, so whaddaheck... LET’S GET WET!</div>
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At the next stop where we got off the boat, we had to pay
another 200 baht each to hike up a hill. That was also our toilet stop, and we
could also leave our bags there. I decided to leave my backpack (with my
<i>telekung</i> in it) and only brought along my smaller dry bag to protect my camera
from the rain. For those who didn’t come with proper shoes, shoes (something
like the kampung adidas I was wearing) were available for rent. Hiking sticks
were also available for free for those who wanted it. I decided to not use the
hiking stick as I felt it would be easier for me to take pictures without the
hiking stick.</div>
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We then reached another pier where we had to leave the hiking
sticks and went on a bamboo raft to head to the next stop, the Pakarang Cave.
Initially a few of us thought of skipping the cave and just wait on the bamboo
rafts, but after a short hike up to the opening of the cave, I noticed that all
10 of us (and the 2 tourists from our resort) all made it up. Nobody wanted to
be left behind.</div>
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The tour inside the cave didn’t take long as it was just a
small cave, but it was an interesting tour nonetheless. Ed even asked us to
switch off our headlights he provided us earlier, and told us to imagine how
the group of Thai soccer boys trapped inside the cave managed to survive in
total darkness for 13 long days.</div>
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After the cave tour, we headed back, first by bamboo raft to
where we had left our hiking sticks, then we hiked back through the same trail
we came earlier. Initially during our hike the rain had subsided, but as soon
as we reached the starting point where we started our hike earlier, it started
to rain heavily again. From there, we had to get on to the boat again, this
time for just a short 5 minutes ride to the floating bungalows for our lunch.</div>
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Getting hot freshly cooked food for lunch was bliss,
especially since we were wet & cold. The omelettes, the fried fish with
Thai chilli sauce, the vegetables and whatever that was served were swiped
clean off the plates!</div>
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We were told that we could swim or use the kayak available
at the place, and we could also relax in front of any of the empty bungalows
(those who opt for the 2D1N tour of the lake would spend one night in the
bungalows). Since we knew that by the time we’d get back to Our Jungle House,
it would be too near to Maghrib, we decided to do our zohor/asar prayer in
front of one of the bungalows. Praying on a floating bungalow – checked!</div>
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Before leaving the place, we were served again with another
Thai dessert, sticky rice with banana inside. And langsat.</div>
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By 3.30 pm, we got back on to the boat, and it started to
drizzle again. Ed joked that the “Let’s Get Wet” that was printed on our t-shirt
was the reason. We all then decided that for our next t-shirt, we should print
“Let’s Get Rich... Quick” instead.</div>
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On our way back to the pier, the sun finally came out and we
could finally see blue skies. Ed was kind enough to get the boat to stop and he
even offered to take a group photo of us.</div>
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By the time we got back to Our Jungle House, it was 6 pm.
Maghrib was about 6.30 or so. Thank goodness we performed our zohor/asar prayer
earlier at the floating bungalows.</div>
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That night, the 4 occupants of Half Moon were too lazy to
head over to Happynest for dinner, so we had dinner in our own treehouses. Good
thing it wasn’t raining, so we were able to go out on the open deck <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to enjoy the view outside. It was the night of
Awal Muharram (new year in the Islamic calendar), there was no moon, but as I
looked up to the sky, wow! What a beautiful sight of stars! (Sorry, my camera
wasn’t good enough to get a good photo of what I actually saw.)</div>
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Day 3, 1<sup>st</sup> September 2019: As we were having breakfast in the room, with doors to the
deck widely opened, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a monkey appeared right
in front of our windows. We quickly closed the doors, only to realise that
there was not one, but 3 of them, including a little one. (Apparently the
Happynest treehouse had more visitors than our Half Moon treehouse.)</div>
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Our program for this morning was the Canoe Tour. The good
thing about this tour was that we didn’t have to paddle the boat. The local
guides themselves would paddle, and so we were able to enjoy the views and take
pictures as we liked. We even had a coffee break where we got down from our
canoes. The guides boiled water and made coffee/tea for us, served in bamboo.
They even gave us the bamboo cups as souvenir.</div>
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The fact that the guides didn’t understand much English, and
we didn’t understand Thai, didn’t make the tour any less interesting. The
guides (mostly in their 20’s) who initially seemed shy finally did seem more
relaxed after a while seeing that the aunties (oh well, speaking for myself and
a few other seniors in the group) were laughing away almost throughout the
tour.</div>
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End of canoe tour, we headed back to Our Jungle House. The
next tour was only due at 3pm, so we had ample time for lunch, prayers and to
have a short rest in our rooms. By 3pm, we were already back at the reception,
ready for the next tour, the Elephant Experience. This time only 9 of us went.
The other member in the group, who had similar experience before at Kuala
Gandah, decided to go for a 2 hour massage (which is also available at Our
Jungle House). Just after we left the resort, the one who decided to go for the
massage called me to inform me that GT (the GM) has agreed to drive us to a
town about 45 minutes drive away so we can get freshly cooked Thai laksa for
dinner.</div>
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On our way (for the elephant experience), we stopped by a
nearby resort to pick 4 other tourists, 2 French couples, who were also joining
the same tour.</div>
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Upon arrival, we were briefed by the guide, Dream, who
introduced us to the 2 elephants, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seenin
& Watsana, (which we later changed to Wassini & Wassana – just to make
it easier for us to remember) and told us about their daily routine. Both were
rescued elephants, one from doing logging work, and the other from being used
to give rides to tourists.</div>
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After a round of feeding the elephants with sugar cane, we
then walked together with the elephants for their mud bath. We joined in the
pool of mud to scrub mud all over the elephant’s body. One of the elephants
even ended up peeing in the pool (yep, the same pool of mud we were in). And this
was an elephant we’re talking about, the peeing was more like a gush of water
coming out of a broken sewer pipe! Seriously!</div>
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After the mud bath, we all walked over (together with the
elephants of course) to the river to rinse off the mud. Again we joined the
elephants in the river and had fun. If earlier on we experienced the elephant’s
pee, this time at the river, the elephant pooped! Ah well, the name of the tour
is “elephant experience”, so might as well experience everything elephant,
including the pee & the poop.</div>
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After the river bath, it was another round of feeding time
for the elephants. And thus ended our Elephant Experience tour.</div>
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We got back to Our Jungle House quite early, around 4.30pm.
Thinking that it was still early, and since the next morning we were already
checking out, we decided to go for a walk at one of the nature trails at Our
Jungle House itself. One of the resident cats even followed us up to the
beginning of the trail.</div>
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We got out of the nature trail around 5pm, and lo and behold,
GT was already there to take us out for dinner! Errr... and none of us were
ready. We didn’t want to go out for dinner smelling like elephants! So we
rushed back to our rooms, did the <i>mandi</i> express, and all 10 of us managed to
get ready by 5.30pm.</div>
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By the time we reached the restaurant GT wanted to take us
to, there were no tables available. So GT took us to the nearby stalls to buy
some Thai desserts and some ayam percik. We also got a few pieces of fried
chicken for free because we greeted the seller with salaam.</div>
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Later when we finally managed to grab a table at the
restaurant, we were obviously the noisiest customers there. Loved the Thai laksa,
especially since we were served with “take all you want” vegetables to go with
the laksa. After having meals of instant food without vegetables for the past 2
nights, the vegetables were like treasure.</div>
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On the way back, GT stopped by a fruit stall by the roadside,
selling rambai. A few of us did go down to buy, but guess what? We ended up
getting a whole bunch of rambai, free!</div>
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Back at Our Jungle House, since it was our final night
there, we had to start packing. We had already sought GT’s help, not only to
arrange for a van to transport us back to the airport the next day, but also to
make a few stops along the way, namely shopping & lunch stops. Since the
drivers don’t speak English, we needed GT’s help to tell the driver where to
stop before sending us to the airport.</div>
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Day 4, 2<sup>nd</sup> September 2019: Our final morning in
Khao Sok, and finally it was a bright and sunny day! Since I had an extra
ration of instant food meant for dinner the night before, I decided to give my
Kembara meal beef rendang with pilaf rice to GT, so she could give it a try,
and maybe something she could recommend to future Muslim visitors in need of
halal food. </div>
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Before leaving, a group photo together with GT was a must.
Hey, even the resident cat decided to join us for the group photo!</div>
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After saying our goodbyes, off we went. When the van driver
made a stop at the town that GT had brought us to the night before, we realised
that he probably was sticking to the original plan of taking us for a Thai
breakfast before heading to Phuket. We had changed the plan because GT had
already brought us out for Thai food for dinner, but I guess there must have
been a communication breakdown somewhere. So the driver called GT who then talked
to one of us just to be sure we didn’t want to stop for breakfast (we already
had breakfast in the room with whatever balance of food we had).</div>
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So the journey continued, without stopping for breakfast. Our mistake was
we did not specifically ask GT for the plan, we thought the driver would be
taking us shopping first before lunch. We tried to ask the driver, without
success. One of us even looked up an app on her phone to translate Malay or
English into Thai, so we could ask the question in Thai. Wasn’t much help
either, the only thing it did was to get us all bursting into laughter. The
only word we could understand was “tesco” which to us meant shopping was in the
itinerary.</div>
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Finally we got a message from GT that the driver would be
taking us for lunch first at Markprok Seafood Restaurant (the halal restaurant
I had googled for earlier, which is about 10 minutes drive from the airport),
before taking us to Tesco Lotus (closer to Phuket) to shop for some Thai stuff
(tomyam paste, green curry paste etc).</div>
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As we were talking in English to the girl taking orders at
the restaurant, we found out that she could speak Malay! (She’s from
Narathiwat.) Thank goodness, no more struggling to ask for what we wanted. We
even sought her help to tell the driver to take us to a nearby mosque after our
lunch, before taking us shopping. (we could hear the azan from where we were
having lunch). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For lunch, we had seafood
tomyam, fried prawns, ikan tiga rasa, kerabu pucuk paku etc. They even played
Malay songs when we were there.</div>
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After lunch, it was just a short drive to the mosque. Then
we headed away from the airport, towards Tesco Lotus. Gave everyone an hour to buy
whatever they wanted to buy. Everyone was on time. By 2.30 pm everyone was back
in the van.</div>
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There were no more stops after shopping. We headed straight
to the airport, our flight was at 5.10pm, so it was perfect timing to go to the
airport. Even the 4 who decided to take the later flight at night went with us
to the airport so they could leave their luggage at the airport before taking a
cab to Phuket town for a final round of <i>jalan-jalan</i>.</div>
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As for the other 6 including myself, after checking in our
bags (I must mention that the AA staff at Phuket Airport were very helpful) we
went straight in. There was a long queue at immigrations but the process was
quite fast. Then when it came to where we had to scan our carry-on bags, for
the first time ever, I was asked to take off my shoes to be placed on the
scanner (this was before I went through the body scan). Then I had to do a whole body scan (hands above the head, feet apart
and all those stuff) followed by a body search. When I went to get my carry-on bag, I was asked to
take out the power bank I had in my bag. They wanted to check the capacity of
the power bank. It was the power bank I had always brought along with me in my
travels without any problem whatsoever, and after checking they gave it back to
me.</div>
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And thus ended my 4D3N holiday in Thailand. I had a
wonderful time with like-minded nature-loving friends.</div>
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Would I recommend Our Jungle House to anyone else? A
definite YES but only if you love nature and adventure.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-42044954088008248382019-05-25T13:00:00.001+08:002019-05-25T13:00:17.438+08:00After 15 years<div style="text-align: justify;">
It has been 15 years since I first joined Buddies of Ipoh as a volunteer back in April 2004. 12 years since I started blogging in March 2007. Blogs were the "in" thing back then, it was through the blogosphere that I got to know many new virtual friends. While many of the blogs have already been "abandoned" by their owners (<i>laman sesawang dah dipenuhi sawang</i>), I am still in touch with many of my virtual friends, although no longer through blogs. Many of them are my friends on FB, and in fact, I have also met some of them in person, face to face in real life!</div>
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I used to write about quite a number of my clients when I started blogging, without using their real names of course. As a matter of fact, since I no longer update my blog regularly (am still trying to keep my blog alive), sometimes I forget what their blog names are. But I guess, for some of the regular characters, like Yah, Lin, Fuzi and Sofie, and maybe a few others, even my regular blog readers back then who no longer reads my blog now, may still remember them.</div>
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So, after 15 years as a volunteer and 12 years since I started blogging, what has become of the characters I used to highlight in my blog? Their children who were just toddlers back then, are already teenagers now. Those who were still in school back then, have grown up and have either furthered their studies, working and/or married.</div>
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Here are some updates on some of my clients, the ones that I can easily remember off-hand.</div>
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As you may be aware, Yah (of the Yah Ah Ngau- Mr Darling fame), one of my most remembered character, passed away earlier this year. Her eldest child, who studied at a vocational college, just started working a few months before Yah passed away. The 2nd girl is still studying, also at a vocational college. Yah's 3rd child, the ADHD son, stopped schooling earlier and decided to do odd-jobs to support himself. The youngest, who was still a toddler when I was first assigned to Yah's case (I remember delivering milk & diapers when visiting them at their home back then), is already in secondary school. They are now staying with their grandfather (Yah's father). Although the eldest girl is already working, I am still keeping in touch with them and in fact the 2 younger girls are still covered by our education sponsorship program.</div>
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Remember Lin? Mr Darling's ex-wife. Among my many clients I used to regularly visit on a monthly basis to deliver groceries etc, Lin is the one who is most independent now. So independent that I no longer visit her and at one time even lost touch with her when I lost my phone a few years ago. Thank goodness some time last year, during an event organised by another NGO that I'm involved in, a girl who was there representing her employer at a booth, came up to me and asked, "<i>Makcik Fizah kan? Ingat saya tak?</i>" It was Lin's 3rd daughter, whose wedding I attended a few years ago. Through this girl I managed to get Lin's contact number and some updates of the children. Out of Lin's 6 children, 4 of them are married, including the youngest girl who used to be covered by our education sponsorship program. And all 6 are working, including her 2nd girl who is now a doctor. Lin too has remarried (don't worry, she didn't remarry Mr Darling, but someone more responsible). I remember how tough things were for Lin back then. Although during the initial meet with our volunteers at the ID clinic, Lin refused to be assigned a buddy, my colleagues still gave her my number for her to call in case she needed help. It took her a year before she made that call, and after the first meet, she was comfortable enough to share her life stories with me. Oh by the way, Lin is now a grandma to a few grandchildren.</div>
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Then there's Fuzi, the Indonesian lady married to a Malaysian. She had so many problems back then, especially since her wedding took place in Narathiwat, and the marriage was not registered in Malaysia when her husband was still alive. Imagine how troublesome it was to get ICs done for her children despite having a birth cert indicating they're Malaysians by virtue of having a Malaysian father, just because their father was no longer around and it was Fuzi, a non-citizen, who took them to JPN to get things done. Thank goodness her children finally managed to get their ICs done, with the exception of her youngest child, who was born out of a rape case. With a birth cert indicating "maklumat bapa tidak diketahui" and an Indonesian citizen as the mother, the boy is one of the many cases of stateless kids in Malaysia. The boy who is 14 this year, still can't go to school. Fuzi's repeated applications to become a PR have not been approved either, because her husband is no longer around. But, on the bright side, 3 of her 5 children are already working, including her eldest girl who graduated with an accounting degree. And Fuzi's son who used to cause so many problems when he was in school (he quit school at form 4), finally became a responsible human being after he got himself a job in another state, away from the friends he used to hang around with back home. Things may not be as good as Fuzi wants (especially for her stateless youngest child), but at least life for this family has improved a whole lot, and Fuzi knows her eldest daughter can be relied upon to take care of the youngest boy if anything happens to her.</div>
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Another character people may remember is Sofie, who passed away 7 years ago. Although initially after her death I was still in touch with the children through her older sister who became the new guardian to Sofie's children, after a while, they moved back to their home state and I lost touch with them since then. All I knew back then was that the eldest boy was in IKM, the second boy who was in a culinary college distanced himself from his family, the 3rd boy ran away from home after he was scolded by his aunt for skipping school, and only the youngest girl was still with the aunt. Based on the last info I had about them before I lost touch with them, things weren't well at all. But I did manage to search for the culinary boy's profile on FB, and from his page (which he set to public settings, so I was able to see his postings), I noticed he was back touch with 2 of his siblings and I noticed even his aunt (the one who took over as guardian) was on his friends list. The boy himself is already working as a cook, and his younger brother who ran away from home earlier, is also working as a mechanic at a workshop. It was a joy for me to see photos of the 3 of them together at a reunion of the siblings after years of separation. Sad though, from the comments, I realised that they have lost touch with their eldest brother. I do hope one fine day they will find him. And oh, the culinary boy got engaged recently. I hope that all he had been through (including his disciplinary problems back then) has taught him to become a responsible person.</div>
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Those are just updates on the families of 4 of the characters I used to update on my blog. While many of the children from the families I used to visit have grown so much, I still deal with little children from newer clients, some of whom have never been mentioned in my blog postings. So, while some things remain the same (the home visits, the back-to-school-shopping etc), things feel different now that I have examples of success stories I can actually share with my newer cases. Not forgetting, the satisfaction of personally being able to see some success stories happening right before my very eyes, has certainly given me the motivation to keep on going despite getting some frustrating cases from time to time. So yes, while my body is still willing, <i>insyaaAllah</i> I shall continue with this voluntary work.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-39205634294954578292019-02-24T15:45:00.001+08:002019-02-24T15:46:54.373+08:00Updates<div style="text-align: justify;">
I just realised I haven't posted anything on this blog for this year. So here are some updates in my attempt to keep this blog alive...</div>
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A few clients have passed away within the first 2 months of this year. 2 of them used to be among the starring characters in my blog when blogs were the "in" thing back in 2007-2009.</div>
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Remember Zana? Her story was posted under the title "The Problematic Young Woman" which came in a few parts (at least 4 parts, but could be more). She was the first of my many clients who I had to send to shelter homes. In her case, she was pregnant (out of wedlock) and her family, especially her father could no longer accept her in the family. Her older daughter stayed with her grandparents (Zana's parents) while Zana later gave birth to a pair of twins, both boys. One of the twins died while they were still staying at the shelter home, while the other was later given up for adoption due to Zana's lack of responsibility. Zana eventually went back to stay with her family (and back with her daughter). The girl, whom Zana claimed had been tested for HIV earlier but the results were non-reactive, was never brought for follow up tests. By the time she was finally diagnosed, the girl's condition was so bad her CD4 was close to zero. She died at the age of 10. So, 2 of Zana's children died before Zana herself. Zana's turn came in January this year. Apparently, before she died, she asked to see her son (the one given up for adoption). Not sure if such a meeting took place. I don't think so.</div>
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Some time late January, the wife of a client, Andi (I don't recall posting any stories on him - not much drama), texted to ask if I could assist to get a wheelchair for Andi. His condition had deteriorated and he needed help to move around at home. I managed to get donors to contribute some cash and I went ahead to buy a brand new lightweight wheelchair for him (lightweight so that it wouldn't be too much of a problem if the wife needed to carry the wheelchair in and out of their old van). I sent the wheelchair to them on Friday. Just 3 days later, on Monday, the wife called to inform me that Andi passed away in the morning.</div>
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The very next day, I received a call from an unfamiliar number. The moment I answered the call, I heard the voice of a girl, calling me Makcik Fizah. Initially I thought it could be Andi's daughter, but then she identified herself as Yah's daughter (I think many of my blog readers would be very familiar with the name Yah). <i>"Nak bagitau, mak dah meninggal semalam."</i> Apparently both Andi & Yah, miles apart, died on the same day. </div>
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Both Andi's & Yah's children are still under the Buddies Education Sponsorship Program, so I shall still be monitoring their schooling needs. Andi's children will be getting their assistance through their mother, while Yah's children who now stays with their grandfather, will be getting their assistance through the eldest girl who just started working a few month's back.</div>
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Other updates? After a 4 year break, I am back as the Buddies Chairperson. Obviously we don't have enough people in the organisation, so we even had to recycle the chairperson.</div>
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-1316498842771935122018-12-13T12:37:00.000+08:002018-12-13T12:41:52.619+08:00Back-to-school-shopping - DONE!<div style="text-align: justify;">
3rd December 2018 - My first back-to-school-shopping for the year started off with round 1 in Gerik. This was the first time I decided to go to Gerik for BTSS, not only because there are 5 children covered by Buddies in that area, but also due to the fact that 2 of them were Orang Asli girls who needed at least 2 hours to get from their kampong to Gerik town (their mode of transportation included a boat). Anyway, the 5 children in Gerik were from 3 different families. I told them to meet me at the supermarket at 11 am, and they were all punctual.</div>
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Round 1 of BTSS : RM733.70 </div>
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After completing BTSS for the Gerik group, I stopped by Kuala Kangsar on my way back for round 2, to cover 3 more children from 2 families. The specified time was 2 pm, but both families were not punctual. The first client at least did send a text message to tell me she was on the way, and when she finally arrived, she did apologise. Apparently she had to be elsewhere in the morning and had to rush to meet me at the supermarket. The other client was 40 minutes late, no excuses given and didn't even bother to apologise. The moment she saw me, she just smiled and asked, "Dah lama tunggu?" like it was no big deal. I gave her a piece of my mind! The only reason I was still there at the supermarket was because the other family hadn't finished shopping. Otherwise I would have just left.</div>
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Round 2 of BTSS : RM581.20</div>
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6th December 2018 - I was on clinic duty in Taiping in the morning, and so I decided to arrange for BTSS for the Taiping group to be held on the same day, to save on mileage. This was the biggest group I had to cover. Not wanting the clients to take their own sweet time to come (like the one in Kuala Kangsar earlier), I sent them a reminder one day earlier, asking them to be punctual. And yes, this time, all 7 families were punctual. While most of them were very careful not to overspend (even though they didn't have to pay), I noticed one family with 4 schooling children whose trolley was overloaded with stuff. I reminded her of the budget given per child, and that if their total amount exceeded the budget, they'd have to pay on their own. True enough, while the other families didn't have to calculate the total amount that had to be paid for their children (none of them exceeded the budget), this particular family took a while to calculate everything, took out some items from the trolley (obviously they had exceeded the budget), recalculate, took out more items, and recalculate again.</div>
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Round 3 of BTSS : RM2,927.80</div>
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Monday 10th December 2018 - This time I was on clinic duty in Ipoh in the morning, so I decided to arrange for the Ipoh group BTSS in the afternoon. While the Ipoh group used to be one of my bigger groups for BTSS, this time there were only 3 children from 2 families. When I arrived at the hypermarket, I almost regretted my decision to have the BTSS at that time. There were so many people shopping for their children's back-to-school needs at the very same time, people had to be really careful moving around, otherwise someone may get hit by a trolley! Thank goodness I only had 2 families to cover, otherwise it would have been even more difficult, not only to choose the items, but also to pay at the cashier. The queue at every single counter was extra long. Anyway, 2 of the 3 children from the Ipoh group will be sitting for their SPM next year, so I guess for next year's BTSS, there will be only one child left (unless I get new cases of hiv affected children needing schooling assistance by then). If that is so, then I may consider combining the child with another group for BTSS, maybe the Batu Gajah group.</div>
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Round 4 of BTSS : RM911.60</div>
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Tuesday 11th December 2018 - Another day to cover for 2 more rounds of BTSS. Headed over to Slim River in the morning to cover 2 children from 2 families. Initially another family was also supposed to join, but at the very last minute she told me her children "balik kampung" and were unable to join (and she didn't bother to tell me until I asked). I thought I had estimated enough time for the 2 who came, but while one of them didn't take long to choose the needed items, for the other family, the mother took her own sweet time to pick and choose the items for her son. I can understand more time needed for the uniforms and the shoes, but she even took quite a while to choose a belt (when the belts were all of the same size, colour and material). I had to remind her time and again that I had to rush off to Kampar for the next group.</div>
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Round 5 of BTSS : RM383.25</div>
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After paying for the Slim River group, I rushed off to Kampar for the next group. I thought I had ample time to have my lunch and prayer before starting off for this group, but I only had enough time to perform my prayer. By the time I got out of the prayer room, it was almost 2 pm and one family had already arrived. So yep, had to postpone my lunch. Another family came not long after, while the third client of mine sent a text message saying she was on the way but she may be late as she just got back from visiting her father-in-law who was ill. I told her that after paying for the 2 families, I'd go have my lunch first. She arrived just as I finished my lunch, so yes, I continued for one more child after my lunch.</div>
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Round 6 of BTSS : RM728.20</div>
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Wednesday 12th December 2018 - One final round of BTSS, this time for 5 children from 4 families from the Batu Gajah group. One of the children only took a pair of shoes and some stationeries, because she said she could still wear her old uniforms and bag. More importantly, because she needed the balance of the budgeted amount to pay for her hostel fees. Another child, a 12 year old boy, came in his kain pelekat as he just had his circumcision 2 days earlier. He came with his father, on a motorbike. His father left him there, and then went home to fetch the boy's grandma, to help the boy choose his uniforms, shoes, etc. His mother is no longer around.</div>
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Round 7 of BTSS : RM1,028.45</div>
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So yeah! I'm done with this year's BTSS. Time to submit my claims!</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-81187563164680487272018-10-04T22:09:00.000+08:002018-10-04T22:13:48.645+08:00Feeling like a proud mother<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I first started blogging way back in 2007, I had quite a handful of problematic cases to share. Some names (not real names, of course, although their stories were real) appeared quite frequently in my blog postings. To those who had been following my blog when blogging was still the "IN" thing (now most of my blog friends are no longer updating their blogs but we are following each other on facebook), names like Fuzi, Yah, Lin, Sofie would probably sound very familiar.</div>
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It is now 2018, 11 years since I started blogging. So, what happened to those who had been some of the main characters in my blog postings?</div>
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For certain cases, I lost contact with their families after my clients passed away. One such case was Lily, whose youngest son, Boboy, then only 5 years of age, was sent to a shelter home for HIV+ children after Lily died. His 3 older sisters however, were taken care of by their uncle. Although I told the uncle Buddies would still help out with the children's educational needs, he no longer contacted me after he sent the youngest boy to a shelter home, separated from his sisters. I don't know what has become of Boboy. He should be a big boy now.</div>
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Then there was Sofie, whose family I used to visit without fail on a monthly basis due to Sofie's weak condition. After Sofie passed away, her sister who took over as guardian to the children, moved back to their kampung in another state. I then lost contact with them. But I did search for the children's names on facebook, and managed to find 3 of them, and am glad to note they are doing okay now despite the problems they had earlier.</div>
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Recently under an event organised by Pertubuhan Wanita Prihatin Perak (PWPP), of which I am also a committee member, one young girl who was a staff of one of the exhibitors at the event, approached me and asked if I still remembered her. Then I realised she was actually Lin's daughter. Lin too at one time had to face so many problems, especially with 6 children who were all still studying back then. Now all of the children are working. The girl who approached me during the recent event, is Lin's 3rd daughter. I even went to her wedding, and her older sister's wedding too, before Lin & I both lost each other's phone numbers. Thanks to the girl, we are now back in touch with each other. I don't really have to follow up on Lin's family anymore as the family is totally independent now.</div>
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Another family already independent is Aini's. Her eldest daughter, who graduated with a diploma from a polytechnic, had been working for a few years already, and is already able to buy herself a car to bring her mother for appointments etc. Aini's 2 younger boys, although they didn't too well academically, obtained certs from their vocational training, enabling them to get good jobs as well.</div>
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Earlier today, after visiting a new client, I went to visit Fuzi, since she's staying not far from the home of the new case assigned to me. Like Lin, Sofie & Aini, Fuzi's home was also in my list of monthly visits. Today I found out that Fuzi's eldest daughter, who recently graduated with a degree in accounting, has already started work at an audit firm slightly more than a month ago. In fact, she had already earned her first ever pay last week. Her convocation will be held some time at the end of this month. I'm sure it will be a proud moment for her mother.</div>
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Later today after I got home, I got a message from Yah. She sent me a photo of herself, together with her eldest daughter during the girl's recent convocation. Yes, the girl is now a diploma holder. Yah's family may not be fully independent yet, and Buddies is still helping out with the younger children's educational needs, but they are heading in the right direction.</div>
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I'm sure the success of my clients' children had made their families, especially the mothers proud. Our Education Sponsorship Program is finally showing positive results, and while these children aren't mine, I can't help but feel like a proud mom too!</div>
<br />Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-90422193182005647842018-09-18T07:39:00.002+08:002018-09-18T08:45:58.415+08:00Cuti-cuti Sabah (again) 8 - 10 September 2018<div style="text-align: justify;">
It has been a week since I came back from a wonderful holiday in Sabah together with 11 friends. Initially I didn't intend to update my blog about it, but I've been getting queries from some friends regarding my itinerary etc, so I guess I might as well update my blog so if anyone else asks, I'll just give them this link. Besides, I did the same thing for my last 3D2N Cuti-cuti Sabah in February last year. You can read that story <a href="https://pistwist.blogspot.com/2017/02/cuti-cuti-sabah-11-13-feb-2017.html" target="_blank">here</a>. This time, we headed to another part of Sabah. Instead of landing at KK Airport, this time we landed at Tawau Airport, enroute to Semporna. And unlike my previous Cuti-cuti Sabah (KK-Kundasang trip) where I had to deal with a few separate people to make all the arrangements, this time I booked direct with Lato-Lato Resort for a full 3D2N package inclusive of airport transfer, boat transfer, accommodation, food, and island exploration tour.</div>
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Saturday 8th September 2018 - We all booked the 7.40 am flight to Tawau. Unlike the rest in my group, my journey started from Ipoh, so I had to leave home just after 1am to catch the 2am direct bus from Ipoh to KLIA2. I decided to park my car at Terminal Aman Jaya, Ipoh, so it'll be easier for me when I come back, as I expect to arrive Ipoh also in the wee hours of the morning.</div>
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I arrived KLIA2 at 5.45 am, as expected, and headed straight to the baggage drop off counter. Saw the long queue and was wondering if that's the check-in queue or the baggage drop off queue, so I decided to ask one of the staff there, and since I had already printed both my boarding pass and bag tag, I was told to go to the the self-baggage drop area. First time for me! We had to attach the bag tag to our bags, place the bag on the belt, scan our boarding pass and bag tag with the hand scanner, and verify that no prohibited items are carried, and voila, we're all set! (yes, even this makcik "peghak" could do it)</div>
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After dropping off my baggage, headed over to the prayer room for my subuh prayer. After that there was another long queue getting in to the departure hall. Saw a few people heading over to the front of the line under the pretext of weighing their cabin luggage, and then simply jumping queue from there.</div>
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Our departure gate was J20, and with J22 being the last gate, that meant we had to walk quite a distance to get to our departure gate. But I shouldn't be complaining I guess, since my morning briskwalk is usually 5km and takes about an hour.</div>
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As soon as I switched on my handphone after landing at Tawau airport, before I could even step out of the plane, my phone rang. One lady who was doing the arrangement for our transport to Semporna, called to ask if we had landed. I told her I was just about to step out of the plane and would call her once we're out. That took quite some time, having to queue through immigrations, waiting for our baggage, and of course, our toilet stop on the way out.</div>
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By the time we left Tawau airport, it was close to 11.30 am. There were 12 of us, and since the vans could only take 10 pax each, we had to go in 2 separate vans. 10 of us in one van, while the other 2 joined another 5 tourists, also heading over to the same resort. One van sped far ahead of us (I was later told the guy was driving at 140km/hr at the maximum 90km/hr road), but when our van got to the jetty in Semporna, we didn't see the other 2 members of our group. When we called our 2 friends, they said they were also already at the jetty. So, why couldn't we see each other? Apparently, our van brought us to the wrong jetty! We had to get our bags back into the van so the driver could take us to the right jetty.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wrong jetty</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Finally at the right jetty</span></i></div>
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Our boat left the jetty around 1.20 pm, by which time, most of us were already hungry. It took another half an hour or so from the jetty to get to Lato Lato Resort. And what a sight it was when we first saw the resort. What a view! The water was crystal clear! The resort is in the middle of the sea, built on stilts in the shallow waters off the coast of Semporna. At that moment we knew it was going to be a wonderful relaxing holiday.<br />
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Since we were all already hungry, after checking in (by writing our names and particulars in the book provided), we had our lunch before getting our rooms assigned to us. Staying in resorts like this one, you don't have to worry about arranging for activities. You can snorkel/swim anytime you want! However, even though life jackets and snorkeling masks are provided without any extra charges, when the resort is full, there may not be enough for everyone to use at the same time. So if you can swim and can do without the life jackets, it may be advisable for you to bring your own snorkeling mask.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> View from inside our room.</i></span></div>
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While some of our group members were having a good time snorkeling/swimming, we had freshly made doughnuts delivered to our rooms. They were still warm and oh so yummylicious. Another boost to our holiday... beautiful sea view, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, freshly cooked doughnuts delivered to our rooms... it was bliss!<br />
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I was planning to capture a time-lapse video of sunset, but it was quite cloudy, so no luck there. But the view was still spectacular anyway. After dinner, a few of us decided to <i>borak-borak</i> at the dining area (hot drinks are available 24/7) and it was close to midnight before we decided to head back to our rooms. Good thing we were already back in our own rooms, getting comfortable on our bed, when it started raining heavily.</div>
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Sunday 9th September 2018 - During breakfast, a group of boys who were staying at one end of the resort, told us that they saw a turtle from their room, but everything happened so quickly they didn't get the opportunity to snap a photo of the beautiful creature.</div>
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Today the plan was to explore a few islands, including Bohey Dulang. But
our boat was only due to pick us up at 10 am, and so after breakfast at
7 am, there was ample time for another round of snorkeling/swimming at
the resort for those who wanted to do so. Like I mentioned earlier, even
if you don't plan for any other activities, you can simply laze around
at the resort. There was no need to hire a boat to go snorkeling.</div>
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We finally left Lato Lato Resort at 10.30 am to start off our island exploration for the day. It took about half an hour to reach Bohey Dulang, the first of 3 islands in the planned itinerary. The main activity here is to hike 600m up a hill to witness the beautiful view from up there. There was also a Pusat Pembenihan Kima Gergasi there, but it was closed for maintenance, so if you aren't going to hike up the hill, there's not much to do there. No swimming allowed. Those who plan to hike up, make sure you bring shoes. The requirement is that you MUST wear shoes that cover your toes. I thought I was smart enough to wear my hiking sandals, which was suitable to wear even when wet (or so I thought), but no, there was no room for negotiations. There were however, some "adidas kampung" which you could rent from them at only RM5 per pair. Our guide managed to get one pair of adidas kampung from someone who just got down from the hill and offered the pair to me, and since hiking up the hill at Bohey Dulang was one of the main reasons I came, I relented. I don't really mind wearing the adidas kampung, but due to wear and tear (God knows how many hundreds of people had already worn it before me), the pair of shoes I got was so thin and already torn, but what could I say, those who had the authority to let us through would rather I wear those worn out shoes, than my hiking sandals which definitely had better grip, just because those sandals don't cover my toes.</div>
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In the end only 4 people from my group hiked up the hill. The rest (some of them didn't plan to hike, a few others because of the shoe requirement) had to wait at the jetty, with a big crowd of other tourists. The hill was quite steep, and on the way up, those coming down would encourage us by telling us "<i>sikit lagi nak sampai</i>" (you're almost there). I probably heard the same line every 2 or 3 minutes. Was earlier told by the guide that if you're fit enough, you could probably reach the top of the hill in about 25 minutes or so. I managed to do so in about 35 minutes, so I guess that's not too bad for a 55 year old makcik. And the view from up there was totally worth the hike, although I must say it wasn't really an easy task trying to get a good angle for a good photo shot with the crowd up there. That is especially so if you're planning to take a selfie of yourself or your group... somehow there's always someone's face or arms (or armpits) in the way, but then again, you can always crop your photos later to exclude those unwanted elements.<br />
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We didn't stay too long on top of the hill. It was crowded, and it also wasn't fair for the other 8 members of our group to wait too long at the jetty. As we headed down, it was our turn to say the magic "<i>sikit lagi nak sampai</i>" line to those who were on their way up. Revenge time!<br />
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By the time we got back down, we could see quite a huge crowd at the jetty. Some visitors had their lunch there. We headed back into our boats so that we could have lunch at the next island in the itinerary... Mantabuan Island. Am so glad we did, because it was more peaceful there. The water surrounding the island was so clear, and the sand was soft too.<br />
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We chose a shady spot under a tree to have our lunch. But the beautiful clear waters were too tempting to just let go, so despite the hot sun, after lunch some of us did decide to take a dip, especially since the place wasn't too crowded. It wasn't long before the guide called us back to the boat as it was time to head to the last island in the itinerary, Sibuan Island. Before leaving, we did give some goodies we brought along with us to a small group of Bajau Laut boys. We only saw 3 of them. Apparently a few families of Bajau Laut live on the opposite side of the island.<br />
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Upon reaching Sibuan Island, we could see that the the place was rather crowded. The island is a popular destination among tourists for snorkeling/swimming. Crowded or not, it didn't stop us from having a good time. The waters surrounding the island was so clear, taking a photo underwater was like taking a photo in a swimming pool!<br />
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We got back to Lato Lato Resort by about 4 pm or so. After solat jamak zohor/asar, some of us decided to go for another round of snorkeling/swimming and enjoy the day. We also had another round of freshly made yummy doughnuts. Seeing that it was also a cloudy day, I figured I wouldn't be able to get a good photo of the sunset, but just as I was heading back to my room for Maghrib, I managed to catch this...<br />
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Monday 10th September 2018 - Our last day at Lato Lato Resort. After this, we would no longer be waking up to this view.<br />
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A few members of our group did manage to catch a glimpse of a turtle sticking its head out of the water for some air.<br />
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While most of us decided not to jump into the water as we didn't want to have to pack wet clothes in our luggage, 2 of the gals thought that the early morning high tide was the right time to dive. The diving "platform" was the bench just outside one of the rooms.<br />
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We had to check out of our rooms by 9.30 am, and while waiting for the boat to come and fetch us, we spent the time taking more photos.<br />
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We left the resort around 10.30 am, heading back to the mainland. We were told that our vans would be fetching us in front of Dragon Inn at 3 pm, so there was more than ample time if we wanted to go shopping.<br />
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We didn't want to drag our luggage around until 3 pm, so we decided to share a room at Dragon Inn. Luckily there was one room available. They didn't have half day rates, so we had to pay the full daily rate. But it didn't come up to too much with the 12 of us sharing.<br />
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For lunch, we had seafood at Pearl City Restaurant, which was located at the same place. Shopping? I just decided to buy some small souvenir items from the same complex. Too lazy to go elsewhere.<br />
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We had a good time. The only negative comment I have about this trip is the lack of civic-mindedness in keeping the cleanliness of our waters. It was so frustrating to see plastic bottles and all sorts of rubbish being thrown into the sea. At Bohey Dulang jetty, we even saw diapers in the water. Nearing mainland Semporna, the amount of rubbish was even worse. If we don't do something now, our future generation may not get the chance to see the beauty of the places we visited.<br />
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Thank goodness we stayed in Lato Lato Resort instead of any resorts or hotels at the mainland. I miss the place already. <br />
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Our flight home was on time and landed at KLIA2 about 9.40 pm. I took the 11.10 pm bus from the KLIA2 Transportation Hub and reached Terminal Aman Jaya, Ipoh at 2.35 am. And guess what? Just as I got to the autopay machine to pay for 3 days worth of parking fee, there was a note there, "<i>Boleh keluar terus. Tak perlu bayar parking hari ni</i>." Woohoo! Lucky me!<br />
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-88657048136413572552018-08-13T15:14:00.000+08:002018-08-13T15:14:12.195+08:00Buddies Family Day 2018<div style="text-align: justify;">
12th August 2018 - For this year's Family Day, we decided to head over to Perak Agrotourism Resort (PATRO) in Tanjung Tualang, Perak. We chartered one bus from Taiping and another bus from Ipoh. The Taiping group (including a few from Parit Buntar) had to start off earlier as they are further away. For the Ipoh group, we told everyone to assemble by 7.30 am, but only a few were around at 7.30 am. But it wasn't too bad, we managed to make a move by 7.45 am.</div>
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We were supposed to pick up one family in Simpang Pulai. But as we reached Simpang Pulai, I called up my client and she said she was already there but they wanted to drive on their own and just follow behind the bus. Next stop was Batu Gajah, where we picked up an 11 year old HIV+ girl who was accompanied by her grandfather.</div>
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We reached PATRO on time, and I was happy to see some of our clients (who drove on their own) were already there. We had already arranged with PATRO to prepare breakfast as we knew many of them would probably be hungry (some had to leave home very early in the morning), so everyone headed straight to the cafeteria first to have breakfast of fried noodles and cucur udang. The Taiping group arrived while we were having breakfast.</div>
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After breakfast we headed off for the farm tour, in trams and buggies. For the kids, the tram and buggy rides were already exciting enough for them. We visited the chilli farm & the duck farm, given briefing about the activities there, shown a demo on how salted duck eggs are made. We passed by the honey farm, and then we stopped by to see the horses. Horse rides are only allowed earlier in the morning before 11 am, so no horse or pony rides for the kids this time. However they were all allowed to touch and take photos with the horses.</div>
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Once the farm tour ended, we were all sent back to the cafeteria for lunch, followed by the usual lucky draw (where we made sure none of the children would go home empty-handed) and then brought out a birthday cake to celebrate the birthdays of the August babies.</div>
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After that, those interested to go for the paddle-boat rides were given a chance to do so, not just for the kids, but also for the adults. We made a move at 2.30 pm, but before we left the place, we stopped by their kiosk to buy some of the things produced there, including salted eggs, honey, drinks, kerepek, and some other things. Overall, it was a success.</div>
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For me personally, I was happy to meet up with some of my clients whom I had not met for quite some time. Once my clients become independent, I usually start distancing myself from them to concentrate on the more needy families. I would only contact them once in a long while, or they would contact me from time to time just to ask how I was doing. But they are always still invited to join the annual Family Day, no matter how independent they've become. It was so heartwarming to see them still showing their appreciation not just by attending the Family Day but also by their sincere hugs whenever we meet. The children, who are now grown-ups and working, even express their interest to become volunteers. And I was also happy to see a client of mine, who was once so weak and needed to use a wheelchair (or at least a walking stick), looking so healthy. She can already walk all by herself without even the need for someone to be beside her.</div>
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These are the things which always motivate me to carry on with my voluntary work despite not getting any monetary gains. The satisfaction of seeing the lives of these families change for the better (much much better than before) - PRICELESS!</div>
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-21709603493516849782018-05-17T12:22:00.000+08:002018-05-17T12:22:22.032+08:00Reassessing the needs of my clients<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A few days ago I bumped into Aini, and old client of mine at a supermarket. Usually whenever I met her, she'd be accompanied by her daughter. This time she was alone, and she looked good! No wheelchair, no walking stick. I've never seen her look so healthy before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This family is totally independent now, so I no longer visit them regularly as I used to. I only contact them from time to time just to find out how they're doing (or sometimes they'd call me when they don't hear from me after some time) and only meet them during our Annual Family Day (or when I bump into them like I did a few days ago).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aini's family is the second family among my clients to become totally independent (after Lin's). I am targetting a few more families to be independent soon. Investing in the children's education is beginning to show results. We have always believed that the way to change their future is through education. Even if they aren't academically inclined, encourage them to take up skill-training courses. I am happy that many of these children took up the challenge (although it wasn't easy trying to coax some of them).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I still have a few cases I need to look into to see how Buddies can help though. Like the 13 year old Orang Asli orphan who was just diagnosed HIV+ recently. She may need to take time off school until she's better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Then there's another client who lost her job after her boss found out she's HIV+. Other than helping out with her children's education, I did suggest to her to start a small business to enable her to earn some income to support her family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I need to reassess the needs of my clients. Some may need more help than the rest. And it's Ramadan. Time for my Ramadan home visits.</span></div>
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-8446414263750658352018-03-10T11:04:00.000+08:002018-03-10T11:07:36.650+08:00Helping clients to become independent A client texted me yesterday, asking if Buddies could provide her with monthly financial assistance. Hmm... I always tell my clients that the only financial assistance Buddies may provide is for children’s education, and maybe on a case-to-case basis, for transportation when clients whose hospital appointments are quite far from their homes.<br />
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In the first place, financial assistance was not the objective when Buddies was initially set-up. Our main objective had always been (and still is) to provide moral and emotional support to people living with HIV, and their family members, if need be. The idea of the education fund came about only later, when Buddies came across poor clients whose children almost had to quit school because they couldn’t afford to pay for bus fares and other schooling needs.<br />
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Despite whatever I mentioned above, from time to time, when I do come across clients who need more, I do try to get help for them, depending on what they need. Those who remember the late Sofie, may remember that I did go out of the way to get more help for her. She was too weak to work. In fact when I was first introduced to her, she was bed-ridden. With 4 school-going children, and they had nothing to depend on, I felt obliged to help. We couldn’t use funds from Buddies’ bank accounts, so I sought for outside help, mainly from my friends. And since my friends were already aware of the voluntary work that I do, thankfully I always get good response from them whenever I mention about these cases. In Sofie’s case, I like helping her, because despite being unwell and weak, she did not want to be too dependent on outside help. Whenever she felt slightly better, she’d go out and try to earn some income of her own. When she mentioned about wanting to sell nasi lemak in the mornings, I had no problem getting donations from friends for the initial capital needed.<br />
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Sofie was not the only person who had help, although I must admit I loved helping her because of her attitude. Whenever any of my clients plan to start off a small business as their source of income, I’d try to get help for them, depending on their needs. Those who can sew, I’d get donations to buy sewing machines. Those who wanted to start a home-based baking business; I’d get donations to buy them ovens etc. As long as the donations are used as investments for a better future for these clients, I would help them.<br />
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However, for clients who are able-bodied but always using HIV to come out with all sorts of excuses why they can’t work, that’s where I draw the line. If they don’t make any attempts on their part to improve their lives, I don’t see why I should go out of my way to help them. It’s different if they are too weak and already bedridden, and don’t have any support from own family members.<br />
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As for the client who texted me yesterday, despite being infected with HIV, she is still able to work if she wants to. In addition to that, she’s staying with her parents who are supportive, and so no worries about having to pay for house rental and utilities. Her one and only daughter is in school, and she does get help from our education fund. Asking us to provide her with monthly financial assistance? No way! I have clients who are in a much worse situation than hers, yet they don’t ask for such assistance.<br />
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The main point of consideration whenever we help, is that we must help them to become independent, NOT dependent on us. That’s why we do help with the children’s education, because the best investment for a better future is in their education.Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-59836806891218346892018-02-06T16:34:00.001+08:002018-02-06T16:34:30.015+08:0014 years as a volunteer<div align="justify">
It is already February 2018 and I have yet to publish a single
posting in my blog this year. While I am aware that not as many people read
blogs nowadays (at least not MY blog), I do have a small number of donors who
aren’t my FB friends (most of my updates are now posted on FB), who deserve to
get some updates from time to time. So I can’t abandon my blog altogether.</div>
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The Buddies Society of Ipoh will be 14 this year. Although
Buddies of Ipoh was formed earlier in the late 90’s as a wing under the Perak
Family Health Association (back then known as Perak Family Planning
Association), we registered as a society officially in 2004 and since then we
were no longer under PFHA. I joined the association the very same year, in 2004,
not far off from the date of Buddies’ official date of registration. So it’s
easy for me to keep track of how many years I’ve been with Buddies, all I need
to do is to take a look at the society’s certificate of registration.</div>
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To date I’ve been assigned to over 80 cases, which I believe is
the highest number of clients ever assigned to any of our volunteers. During the
recent board meeting, some of the male volunteers mentioned that for most of the
cases assigned to them, after a few follow-ups, the clients are no longer
interested to keep in touch. I guess all they needed were some initial info they
wanted to know, after that they no longer wanted anyone to call them to ask how
they’re doing etc.</div>
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I guess the ladies are different, especially when they are
single mothers having to take care of their children and are left with nothing
but the virus by their late husbands. Many of them need some sort of support
system, especially those whose families aren’t aware of their HIV status.</div>
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Of the 80 over cases assigned to me to date, 13 of them have
passed on. A few have moved to other states (therefore no longer covered by
Buddies) and some I’ve lost touch with (changed phone numbers and never informed
me and defaulted hospital appointments as well). I am however still actively in
touch with 30 of them. I do reduce my visits/calls to clients who are becoming
more and more independent, particularly those whose children previously covered
by our Education Sponsorship program, who are now already working and therefore
able to support their respective families. That’s the whole purpose of our
support service… to help them become independent instead of becoming dependent
on us.</div>
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Yes, there are some who tend to ask for everything they can
think of the moment we start helping them, but I always tell them that our
financial assistance is limited to their children’s education. And if they still
keep trying to ask for more, I usually just ignore, especially when I know they
are actually capable of working.</div>
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All in all, my 14 years with Buddies had been an eye-opening
experience, and while I do admit sometimes it can get frustrating when some of
the clients I try to help aren’t even bothered to put in any effort on their
part, I have no regrets whatsoever becoming a volunteer. It was the best
decision I made, not only for the families I try to help, but also for my own
good.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-81012990023176220882017-12-15T22:15:00.000+08:002017-12-15T22:15:15.019+08:00Back-to-school-shopping 2017<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's mid-December and I'm done with this year's back-to-school-shopping (BTSS). 6 rounds of shopping. 5 different venues. 40 children. 23 families. Close to RM8K spent.</div>
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Since I don't visit my clients as often as I used to, I usually take the opportunity to catch up with my clients during BTSS, to find out how they and their children are doing.</div>
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Starting off this year's BTSS was Kak Aida. Since Kak Aida had to come to Ipoh for her hospital appointment, I made special arrangements to take her and her son to shop for the boy's schooling needs on the very same day in Ipoh. That way, Kak Aida didn't have to come to Ipoh too often, and I didn't have to drive all the way to her place to take the boy shopping. It was a win-win situation for the both of us. When Kak Aida's case was first referred to me, all her 3 boys were still in school. The youngest boy will be in form 5 next year, so this year's would be the last BTSS for them.</div>
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Round 2 of BTSS was also in Ipoh. Since a client of mine, Yana, who stays in Grik needed to come to Ipoh for her hospital appointment, I made arrangements for the other Ipoh group recipients to shop for their schooling needs on the same day. But the Ipoh group is smaller this year, because many of the previous years' recipients are no longer in school. Other than Yana's one and only child, the others were Julia's 2 youngest children (forms 4 and 2) and Fuzi's HIV+ son, Ijam who will be in form 4 next year. Fuzi's youngest son, 11, is still unable to go to school because of his citizenship status.</div>
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For round 3 of BTSS, I headed over to Kuala Kangsar. 4 families were supposed to join this round of BTSS, but one of them didn't turn up till the end. Another client almost missed the boat because she totally forgot. She only realised it when I called to ask her if she was coming. Since she was stuck at home having to take care of unwell family members (MIL, SIL, uncle, you name 'em), she quickly told her 2 daughters to get on the motorbike and meet me at the agreed place. Only one of the girls was eligible for BTSS this year since the older daughter just recently sat for her SPM. When I asked what her plans were after SPM results are announced, she told me she was planning to take up form six.</div>
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Round 4 of BTSS was held in Batu Gajah. There used to be a big group for my Batu Gajah BTSS, but this year, we only had 6 children from 4 families since many of the children have left school and there were no new clients with school-going children.</div>
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BTSS round 5 was held in Kampar, not only for my Kampar clients but also my Sungkai clients who agreed to come all the way to Kampar. 5 families involved this time, but only one child from each family. 3 families with only the youngest child still in school, while 2 others just joined this year's BTSS since their children will start primary school in 2018.</div>
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The final round of this year's BTSS was held in Taiping, with the biggest group involving 17 children from 6 families. Yah, who used to "star" in my blog during my early blogging years (remember Yah Ah Ngau & Mr Darling?) this time came with her 2 daughters. Her eldest is now doing her practical training while her one and only son (the ADHD boy) quit school and is doing odd jobs. The youngest girl, who I used to visit when she was still a toddler, will be in year 6 next year. How time flies.</div>
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Another client, Dahlia, came with 6 of her 7 children. (Her eldest Adila, the young mom who was raped and gave birth when she was 15, is now studying at a polytechnic somewhere). The youngest is still a toddler, so no school stuff for him. So we had to shop for the schooling needs of 5 of her children, from kindergarten right up to form 5. Still a long way to go for her.</div>
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Ok, time to submit my claims. I'm also beginning to get the lists of the children's various fees and workbooks, so yep, will need to start calculating those as well.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-51881642200702963442017-11-20T21:29:00.001+08:002017-11-20T21:29:17.899+08:00Education Sponsorship: After 10 years<div style="text-align: justify;">
November is coming to an end. Soon I will need to start with my back-to-school-shopping for the children of my needy clients. It's something I've been doing annually without fail for the past 10 years. Being the volunteer assigned to the highest number of clients, most of them from poor families, I had always been the one who had to bring the most number of children, usually between 30 to 40 of them, to go shopping. And since the families stay all over Perak, I've had to do separate shopping trips, covering Ipoh, Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Kampar, Batu Gajah and Slim River. For someone who doesn't quite like shopping, that by itself is an achievement!</div>
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The sponsorship programme has been on-going for 10 whole years now. Over the 10 year period, 65 children had been sponsored, RM305K were collected from generous sponsors, and slightly over RM290K spent to date, not only for the annual back-to-school needs, but also various other schooling needs like monthly bus fares and pocket money.</div>
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So, what have become of the sponsored children?<br /><br />Well, some 30 something of them are still in school. A few dropped out of school despite the assistance. But given that the success stories generally outweigh the dropouts, I must say the education sponsorship programme obviously met its objective in ensuring that poverty does not deprive these children of basic education at the very least. It's a welcomed bonus when many of the children decided to go a step further... either to further their academic studies in universities, polytechnics, colleges... or to go for skill training courses to provide them with better job opportunities.<br /><br />We already have a few who successfully completed their certificates and diplomas, and are currently working to enable them to help support their respective families. But the best news this year is, in its 10th year, the sponsorship programme has finally produced its first ever university graduate. Yes, a degree holder finally. And with more of them currently in various local universities doing various courses, we should expect more university graduates from among the sponsored children in years to come.</div>
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Of course we can't expect each and every single sponsored child to graduate with a degree or diploma. Some are simply not academically inclined at all. But the fact that they agreed to go for vocational or skill-training courses (instead of opting to look for a job immediately after SPM like what they had initially planned to do), can still be considered a success story for the sponsorship programme.</div>
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Having been involved with the running of the programme since day one, the satisfaction of seeing one by one of the sponsored children getting their certs, diplomas and degrees, made it worth all the effort. With education in hand, comes better job opportunities. With better jobs opportunities, a brighter future awaits them. And THAT is the reason behind the education sponsorship programme.</div>
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Although these children aren't mine, I can't help but feel like a proud mother every time I hear of their success stories. I certainly hope there will be many more success stories in future. It helps keep me motivated. </div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-18854155431579216592017-09-28T14:47:00.002+08:002017-09-28T14:47:39.354+08:00Targetting the teenagers<div style="text-align: justify;">
While the main objective of the Buddies Society of Ipoh is to provide moral and emotional support to People Living With HIV (PLHIV) and their families, we do try to get involved in awareness campaigns from time to time whenever we can. As for financial support, we concentrate on children education, that is to help out with the educational needs of the infected and/or affected PLHIV children. My main target... the teenagers! For awareness campaigns, I prefer to go to schools to empower the teenagers with the necessary knowledge on HIV/AIDS. For educational support of the infected/affected children, as far as possible I want them to go farther than just SPM.</div>
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However, with limited manpower (no full time staff and majority of volunteers have their own full time jobs), our involvement in awareness campaigns is limited. Basically we only get involved in exhibitions and talks whenever invited. In other words, we don't organise the campaigns, we only participate.</div>
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For the first half of the year, things were rather quiet for our awareness programmes. But this month alone, I've been invited to give talks to 2 schools. Last week, to about 200 form 6 students and early this week, to about 300 students from form 2 right up to form 5. Back when I initially started to give talks on HIV/AIDS, the contents of my talks were merely explaining about what HIV & AIDS were, how they spread and how they do not spread. After years of experience, especially in dealing hands on with real life HIV cases, I now make sure I also share some real life stories with the students. To me, it is important that they know what the PLHIV and their families went through, how they got into the mess they were in, and how it impacted their lives.<br />
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As for the educational support to the infected/affected children, while our Education Sponsorship Programme covers only schooling expenses up to form 5/form 6 in government schools, I do try my best to encourage the children to go farther than just SPM or STPM. It gives me great satisfaction whenever any of the sponsored children decides to further their studies. While our Education Sponsorship do not cover higher education, whenever any of these children get any offers and need some cash for registration and initial expenses, all I need to do is to update my facebook status about it and usually within less than an hour, there's always someone willing to chip in. For that I am very thankful.<br />
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Every year, once the SPM/STPM results are released, I'd start
targetting the sponsored children who just got their results, gauging what fields they're interested in. If they
are academically inclined, I need to make sure they apply for suitable
courses. If they aren't academically inclined, I'd encourage them to go
for skill training courses. To date, we already have one who graduated with a degree, a few with diplomas and a few more with vocational certificates. They are now working and are able to help out with their respective families' living expenses. Many more are now in local universities, polytechnics or skill training colleges.<br />
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I may not get any cash incentives from my voluntary work, but the satisfaction I get whenever any of these children succeed, is totally PRICELESS. </div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-2441424407587170952017-08-14T17:17:00.001+08:002017-08-14T17:17:31.957+08:00Buddies Family Day 2017: My Clients & Their Family Members<div style="text-align: justify;">
We had our annual Family Day yesterday, 13th August. This time we brought our clients and their family members to Taiping Zoo, followed by lunch, lucky draw etc at Legend Inn Hotel, Taiping.</div>
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This year, in total we had 111 (including 6 toddlers who weren't charged for tickets) in attendance, including 15 volunteers. Which meant 96 attendees were from among our clients and their family members. I just checked out my list, and guess what, from among my clients alone, we had 48 pax. That's exactly half!</div>
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Initially I had 68 pax from 16 families in my list of clients who confirmed with me that they were coming. Of the 16 families, only 10 families turned up. The other 6 families comprising 20 supposedly confirmed number of pax, ended up no show. While I did expect pullouts and while I can accept reasonable excuses given, I just can't comprehend when some of them just texted me last minute saying they weren't joining without even saying why. Worse, when they don't even bother to inform me that they're pulling out. They simply don't turn up because they don't lose anything since they didn't have to pay a single thing.</div>
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Among the 6 of my clients who didn't turn up, only 1 had given an excuse that she wasn't well. She and her sons don't usually miss our Family Day.</div>
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Another client, had one week earlier informed me that she had to pull out, but a few days later requested that she and her children be included again. And then, at the very last minute, she pulled out again. No reasons given.</div>
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2 other clients, who had earlier called me personally to make sure their names were included in the list, simply kept quiet and were no longer contactable after I came back from Kashmir. My calls weren't answered and my messages weren't replied. They simply vanished.</div>
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Another client texted me at the very last minute saying she couldn't make it. This is the second time she's doing this, she did the same thing last year. I'm not sure if I should invite her for next year's Family Day.</div>
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Another client, texted me on Saturday, asking me what time he and his family of 5 pax should be at the bus pick-up point on Sunday. After I told him they needed to be there by 8 am, he didn't say anything, so I assumed there shouldn't be any problem. On Sunday however, they didn't turn up by 8 am. I called there was no answer. By 8.06 am, I texted to ask if they were coming. By 8.20 am, we made a move. Then at 8.26 am, client texted back, saying he had to take his medication first and asked if we could wait. Duh! I already told them to be there by 8 am, and only at 8.26 am he wanted to negotiate? We weren't going to delay 2 bus-loads just to wait for a family of 5.</div>
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However, it was good to meet up with my other clients, some of whom I had not met for quite some time. Fuzi and her family are doing okay. Her eldest daughter who's studying at a local university also joined the Family Day. She'll be home until Uni reopens next month. Fuzi's 2nd daughter, who sat for STPM 2 years ago, is now working in another state. Fuzi's son, who stopped schooling when he was in form 4, and then went on to work in another state (and earns enough to support himself without bothering his mother), is now thinking of sitting for SPM as a private candidate because suddenly he feels like joining the army.</div>
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Dahlia came with 5 of her 6 children (the eldest is studying at a polytechnic) and husband. The last time I went to visit them, the children were telling me about their father who disappeared from home after the police came. You see, Dahlia and her hubby had a fight and upon seeing that her father was about to hit her mother, Dahlia's 10 year old girl called the police. When I went to visit them, Dahlia spoke as though there was no way she was giving her hubby another chance. Well, guess what? Yesterday for the Family Day, her hubby tagged along. Somehow, I am not at all surprised...</div>
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Then there was Aini, who had to miss our Family Day for the past few years because she had been in and out of the hospital. Even the last time she was able to join us, she needed the aid of a walking stick. This time, she came with her eldest daughter (who is now already working) and Aini walked without the need of a walking stick. Of course her daughter was walking beside her all the way, but still, it was good to see her looking so well.</div>
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Laila, the orphan who lost her mother when she was 11 (and her father very much earlier), came with her grandma and aunt. Still looking as petite as ever, the girl will be sitting for her SPM this year. Our education sponsorship will cover for her schooling needs until she completes her SPM, but I do hope to continue overseeing her educational needs after SPM.</div>
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The other families too seemed to be doing okay. Unlike my early years as a volunteer when my clients had all sorts of problems, life seemed to have improved for many of them. And the newer clients, although they do have problems, the problems don't seem to be as dramatic as the ones I had to endure earlier.</div>
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All in all, it was a successful Family Day. The rangers at the zoo did a good job in making the visit an interesting one. The food at Legend Inn Hotel was yummy. The lucky draw prizes (obtained from various donors) drew smiles especially from the children's faces. And the "mini-freemarket" we had (where the ladies had the chance to pick and choose clothes in good condition, some even new - all given by donors) was also a hit.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-75078759738417036732017-08-09T11:45:00.000+08:002017-08-09T11:45:03.329+08:006D/5N Kashmir Great Lakes Trek<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Sunday 30th July 2017</b></i>:<br />
After spending one night at Heaven Breeze Houseboat in Nigeen Lake, Srinagar, this morning we set off with our backpacks, heading to Sonamarg to start our Great Lakes Trekking expedition. Away from the noise of cars honking in Srinagar. No wifi. No mobile data.</div>
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Kashmir is so beautiful, we went ooohh... and aaahh... and wow... before even reaching Sonamarg. </div>
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Upon reaching the starting point, our horses and the horsemen were ready waiting for us.</div>
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In no time, we were already on our way up to start our expedition.</div>
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For most of us, that was our first time riding horses. But with the help of the horsemen, who assisted throughout the journey by guiding us and the horses, we got the hang of it in no time. We all had to get down from our horses upon reaching the security check-point, had our passports checked and photos taken before we were allowed to continue our journey. But let me tell you, even from the security check-point, the view was already so beautiful. Since it was already 12.40 pm by the time we reached the check-point, we had lunch while waiting, and took the opportunity to take more photos, even with the security officers!!</div>
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Upon clearance, we headed on, passing through hills and valleys, and even stopped for a short break at the homes of one of the gypsy families (during winter the families would have to move elsewhere as the place is not livable in winter). The children seemed excited to see us, and even asked, of all things, for pens. Too bad we didn't know what to expect earlier, otherwise maybe we could have brought along some pencil colours and some other stationeries.</div>
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After the short stop, we proceeded with our journey, this time passing through rivers and we started seeing glaciers. </div>
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We finally made it to our campsite around 5.30 pm. While waiting for the horsemen to set up our tents, we took wuduk at the river and did our jamak ta'khir on the grass beside the river. There was a special tent for our meals... we called the tent our "dining hall".</div>
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The river water was cold, night time was even colder, so for the most of us (for me at least) cleaning up at the first campsite was by using the wet wipes that we brought along. Oh, for those who may want to know about toilet facility, the toilet was basically set up by digging a hole and popping up a tent on it. The view surrounding our campsite was indeed beautiful.</div>
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<i><b>Monday 31st July 2017</b></i>:<br />
After packing up our stuff and all tents etc were dismantled, we headed on to our next campsite.</div>
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Along the way, we came across even more beautiful sights.</div>
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The higher the elevation, the more beautiful the view, but at the same time, the more we started feeling altitude sickness, sometimes feeling short of breath just by walking just a short distance. Walking uphill would be even worse.We finally reached our next campsite slightly after 2 pm.We were to stay at this campsite for 3 consecutive nights with day trips planned for the next 2 days.<br />
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Despite the very cold water, some of us decided to have a bath in the river. I even washed my hair while wearing the hijab! Shivered I did, but it was satisfying to finally have a bath!<br />
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<i><b>Tuesday 1st August 2017</b></i>:<br />
It was a bright sunny morning (but still cold nonetheless), and what a sight it was seeing rainbow trouts jumping in the river just beside our camp.<br />
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Today's activity was to go up to the glaciers. Again, with the help of our trusted horses and horsemen, we trekked across rivers, hills and valleys.<br />
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Upon reaching the glacier at around 10.30 am, our photo shoots began. Hey, we were stepping on snow.... in summer!!! While many in my group took photos with the good looking Kashmiri horsemen, I took the opportunity to take a photo with 2 Kashmiri ladies who were observing us nearby.<br />
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By the time we made it back to our campsite, it was lunch time. This time, instead of having our lunch inside the dining tent, we had lunch under the sky.<br />
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Initially we wanted to go to the lake around 3pm, some planning to wear baju kurung for the next photoshoot, but it was drizzling and so we decided to just stay at our campsite. In the end we had our photoshoot at the river near our campsite. Some with baju kurungs, some with batik sarongs.<br />
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<i><b>Wednesday 2nd August 2017</b></i>:<br />
The plan was to visit the 2 lakes. It was another cold and rainy day. But we weren't about to be sitting around at the campsite doing nothing, so we proceeded with the plan to visit the 2 lakes. However, it was dangerous to ride horses at certain parts of the terrain, and so we had to get down and walk uphill. Tiring, but worth all the effort once you see the wonderful landscape.<br />
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Going down the hill to get back to our campsite at certain parts was again dangerous if we were to ride our horses. It was wet and slippery and we wouldn't want to fall off our horses in such condition. So yes, the only option was to walk down, which still was not so easy given the slippery condition.<br />
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<i><b>Thursday 3rd August 2017</b></i>:<br />
It was time to start descending and head on to our final campsite. Thank goodness, it was a bright and sunny day.<br />
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Again, there were certain parts of the route where we were asked to get down from our horses and walk. As we were descending, I decided to join a few other friends to walk a little farther to enjoy the view and take photos (much easier to take photos while walking), until we reached a river crossing. Since we didn't want to get our feet wet (and in freezing cold water too!), we waited for our horses before continuing our journey.<br />
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We finally reached our 3rd and final campsite at a gypsy village slightly after 2 pm. In contrast to our 2 earlier campsites, this time there were no rivers around us. Instead there was just a small spring for our water source. There goes our hope of having a splash in the river we were hoping for! But, the view from the campsite was still beautiful nonetheless. Besides, that was to be our final night in the mountains and we could look forward to having a good bath at our houseboat the very next day.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">See the small tent beside the tree? That's our mobile toilet!</span></div>
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Later that evening, we had a campfire, with the horsemen singing and dancing. They did pull in some members of our group to join in their dancing. I however had to retire early as I was down with flu and headache, and really needed to sleep early.<br />
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<i><b>Friday 4th August 2017</b></i>:<br />
We woke up in the morning to more beautiful views.<br />
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It was our final day in the mountains and it was time to head back down. Again, our trusted horses and horsemen made sure our journey was smooth and safe.<br />
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We reached the security check-point in no time (where we had our photos taken again) and by the time we reached the start/end point, our mini-busses were already waiting to take us back to our houseboats. After 5 cold nights in the mountains, it was the end of our Great Lakes journey.<br />
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It was a tiring journey (especially for a makcik like me), but it was totally WORTH IT! I am so glad I made the trip to this heaven on earth...</div>
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-78393189602846506852017-07-03T22:51:00.000+08:002017-07-03T22:51:20.676+08:00Fuzi's family... after 10 years<div style="text-align: justify;">
When Fuzi's case was first assigned to me 10 years ago, I thought it was just another simple case of a HIV+ single mother needing financial assistance for her children. Boy, was I wrong!</div>
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Well yes, she did need financial assistance but her problems were nowhere near simple. Fuzi, an Indonesian, married a Malaysian man, in southern Thailand. Fuzi, being naive, totally depended on her husband on matters pertaining to registration of their marriage, and when told that there was no problem whatsoever, she believed him blindly. The fact was, their marriage was never registered in Malaysia, even after 4 children. There wasn't any issue when the husband was still around, but problems started to surface after the husband passed away.</div>
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First, an intruder broke into their house, and raped Fuzi. Fuzi got pregnant, and it was during this pregnancy that she found out she had HIV. Initially she thought she got infected when she was raped, but after the children got tested, it turned out her 4th child (the youngest from her marriage) was also infected, which meant Fuzi had been infected earlier when her husband was still around! It was then that Fuzi told me her husband used to frequent southern Thailand although she never really asked why he went there. Her husband probably died not even knowing that he was HIV+.</div>
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Thank goodness the hospital accepted her Narathiwat-issued marriage cert, so she didn't have to pay for her HIV treatment, by virtue of being married to a Malaysian. But everything else was so problematic. Her older children, although born to a Malaysian father, had problems when they wanted to get their MyKad done. You see, people don't ask questions if their father took them to Jabatan Pendaftaran, but since their father had died by the time they reached 12 years of age, Fuzi was the one who took them to JPN. And since she's not a Malaysian, her children weren't able to get their MyKad done. Thank goodness, after going in and out of various offices, that matter was finally settled. She somehow managed to legalise her marriage cert and the 4 children from her marriage were able to get their MyKad once they reached 12 years of age. Only thing was, their uncle (their father's brother) had to accompany them to JPN to get their MyKad done, and each time Fuzi had to pay him to do so.</div>
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The only problem left was her 5th child who was born without a father. With father's details stated as "unknown" in his birth cert, and his mother an Indonesian, the boy didn't have any citizenship. Neither her nor there. Not accepted as a Malaysian, and not registered as an Indonesian either. Fuzi has tried various methods, asked various people to help out. She tried applying for PR status, so that the boy could at least go to school (albeit paying a higher fee), but every time her application was rejected because by the time she applied, she was already a widow. Now she needs to renew her visa regularly to enable her to stay in Malaysia legally.</div>
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A couple offered to legally adopt the boy on paper, with Fuzi still taking care of him, so that they could register him to a school. It was initially approved, but when a nosey neighbour reported the matter to JKM, officers from JKM did a spot-check and found out the allegations to be true, the adoption immediately became void. And with that, the boy still can't go to school.</div>
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Someone (from JPN no less) suggested to Fuzi to get her eldest daughter to adopt the boy legally when she (the daughter) turns 21. They tried to submit the application when the girl turned 21 (she's 22 this year) but was then told she'd have to be married before she could do so. Hadoii... how lah?</div>
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The boy is 11 this year, and he is still unable to go to school because of all these issues. But that's about the only major problem this family has right now.</div>
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Fuzi's eldest daughter is already in university and is expected to graduate next year. I told Fuzi, once her daughter gets a job, get her to apply again for legal guardianship of the boy. Probably her earlier application was rejected because she herself was still studying. At least with a job and a fixed income, her application may be considered.</div>
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Although Fuzi's other children aren't academically inclined, the #2 and #3 are now working. The #3 boy used to give all sorts of problems to Fuzi when he was in school, getting in trouble all the time, playing truant, smoking cigarettes, accused of stealing, quit school in form 4, etc. But the moment he got himself a sales related job in another state, away from the friends he had been hanging around with earlier, he became a totally different person. He's a more responsible person now.</div>
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Fuzi's #4 child, the one who is HIV+, is in form 3 this year. He is under our sponsorship programme, so his educational needs are covered. Well yes he has HIV, but I know of another child born with HIV who went on to further her studies after SPM, so this boy should be able to do the same if he really wants to.</div>
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So yes, overall this family's situation has indeed improved a whole lot. But I do sincerely hope the youngest boy's issues can be resolved soon. The poor boy...</div>
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-90572369558365909592017-06-14T16:47:00.002+08:002017-06-14T16:47:20.534+08:00My Ramadhan Visits<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the past 10 years or more, Ramadhan had always been my busiest month. Ever since I was confirmed as a Buddies volunteer, most of the cases assigned to me involve poor PLHIV families, mainly involving single mothers. While for some of the hard core poor families, I make it a point to visit every month to deliver groceries, during the month of Ramadhan I usually visit even more families to bring some cheer especially to the children from these poor families.</div>
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Imagine their excitement getting pre-loved and/or new clothes and whatever other Raya goodies I could get hold of. Some got excited the moment they knew I'd be visiting. For some, without any kampung to go to for Raya, they'd excitedly be asking when I'd be visiting them for Raya, because they seldom get visitors at their home.</div>
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It helps that I tend to get a lot more donations during Ramadhan. My sincere thanks to my old school friends, my blog friends, my FB friends and even some of my blog readers whom I've never even met before. Without the support of these generous donors, I wouldn't be able to give much assistance to the poor PLHIV families I've been assigned to.</div>
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I may not be doing as many house visits as I used to do during my early years as a volunteer. Back then, sometimes I'd visit 3 or 4 homes in a day. I remember once I actually went to visit and delivered groceries to 4 different families within half a day. From my home in Ipoh, I headed to Sg Siput, followed by Chemor, then Pusing and last one in Batu Gajah before I headed back home. And yes, during fasting month, my visits cover homes from all over Perak. Tg Piandang, Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Gerik, Gopeng, Kampar, Parit, Sungkai. And oh, even Cameron Highlands.</div>
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Most of the hard core poor families aren't doing too bad now. Some may still need assistance, but not as much as they did back then. A few are totally independent, and no longer need any assistance. For those staying quite far from Ipoh, and still need help, I'd just transfer some cash online from my charity account into their respective bank accounts. That is, of course, after I visit them at least once to assess their situation at home.</div>
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Likewise, for this year's Ramadhan/Raya contributions, for those staying quite far from Ipoh, I'd just do online cash transfers. Quite far means more than an hour drive from Ipoh. The ones I still visit are usually the ones with young children. Less visits to the homes of those with grown up children, unless there are specific matters they need to discuss, especially pertaining to education.</div>
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I have no choice but to choose who I need to visit. After over 10 years with Buddies, I've been assigned to close to 80 clients. Imagine if I have to visit each and every single one of them during Ramadhan... <i>banyak letih lor</i>!!!</div>
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-46874099991916537932017-06-02T13:13:00.000+08:002017-06-02T13:13:04.338+08:00All in a day's voluntary work<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whenever I'm on voluntary duty at Taiping Hospital ID clinic, I'd usually make it a point to at least visit any clients staying around the area. Yesterday was no exception. In fact, yesterday I covered more than I usually did.</div>
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A client, Nor, who had received assistance from us for a pair of glasses, had texted me earlier if I could help get orders for <i>kuih siput</i> which she's making for Raya. I told her since I was going to Taiping yesterday, I'd like to get a kilogram first for myself, since I'd like to taste them first before I can recommend to anyone. So, we promised to meet up at Simpang area, before I proceeded to Taiping town. My intention was to pay her for the <i>kuih siput</i>, but when I wanted to give her the money, she told me it wasn't necessary. She wanted me to taste them first so I could start taking orders from others, if I could get any.</div>
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That done, I headed on to Taiping Hospital. It was quite a busy day yesterday during my clinic duty, although of late we haven't had too many cases referred to us. Sometimes we go to Taiping without even a single case referred. Sometimes it's because the new case never turned up at the hospital, while sometimes they felt they didn't need any help and so it wasn't necessary to see us. Usually the nurse would only refer cases which she felt needed help, and even so, she'd ask them first if they agree to see us.</div>
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The first case referred yesterday was a guy in his 50's, who came with his wife. The wife has been confirmed negative, but when the nurse mentioned about Buddies, she thought her husband could use the help. The guy had not been working for the past 5 years because of illnesses and since he's feeling better now, he plans to start looking for a job. But getting a job when you're above 50 is not easy. When he found out that Buddies is a support group, he felt uncomfortable and said he didn't need any help. I'm not sure what he said to his wife after that (they spoke in Chinese), but it sounded like he was scolding his wife for agreeing to see Buddies. Ah well, never mind. I just gave his wife our brochure, just in case some time in future they need our help, at least they have a number to call.</div>
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The next case was a young lady who gave birth 5 months ago. Apparently when she was pregnant she was not detected for HIV. So no precautions were taken during her pregnancy and delivery. As such, her baby needs to be tested from time to time. So far so good, but the baby still needs to go for follow up until he/she (I forgot to ask about the baby's gender) is confirmed not infected. Again, this lady said she didn't need help, and so I didn't assign any buddies to her.</div>
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I thought I was done with the 2 cases, but then the staff nurse told me that another PLHIV wanted to see me, because he was interested to become a volunteer. Since I was already at the hospital, I might as well interview him there and then. Another client, Dahlia, who was also there for her appointment, wanted to hitch a ride home in my car since I was going to visit her family anyway, so she had no choice but to wait.</div>
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Back to the guy, he was first diagnosed after a blood donation drive. He was so depressed he didn't even go to get any treatment. All he wanted to do back then was to commit suicide. He thought of jumping down from a tall building, but then he thought, that would embarrass his family. After some time his condition worsened, and he went back to his hometown to stay with his family. To this day, none of his family members are aware of his HIV. They only know of his hepatitis. He kept everything to himself and didn't have anyone to talk to about how he felt. One day he collapsed, and by then he had no choice but to be hospitalised and get treatment.</div>
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Now that he's feeling a lot better, the moment he heard about Buddies from the staff nurse, he wants to become a volunteer. Which was why he requested to see me. After all that he had gone through, I think he'd make a good volunteer. The only problem is, since he doesn't stay anywhere near Ipoh, it will be difficult to train him. New volunteers are taken in as trainees first, and will only be confirmed later after following the senior volunteers around either during home visits or clinic duties. I hope we can somehow arrange for some sort of training for this guy... that is if the Board agrees to take him in as a trainee. For that, he will have to wait until our next Board meeting.</div>
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Done chatting with the volunteer-wannabe, I headed over to Dahlia's house. Dahlia was done with her appointment earlier, but had to wait for me for that ride home. Her daughter Dilla, the young mom, has been offered a place at a polytechnic, and so I brought along some stuff for her including a luggage bag. I also brought along some baju kurungs I managed to collect from donors. I was hoping she'd be home, but although her last day of work at a nearby hotel was on the 31st, she continued working for a friend, helping out to cook and sell at a bazaar Ramadhan. She wanted to earn as much as she could before she furthers her studies, because she wanted to leave as much money as she could for her 2 1/2 year old daughter. </div>
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Truly, I am impressed. Despite the fact that the little girl was a result of a rape case (when she was just at a tender age of 15), and despite quitting school after that, Dilla has proven to be a mature and responsible mother. Instead of passing the whole responsibilily of taking care of the little girl to her mother (the little girl's grandma), Dilla wants to make sure she's doing as much as she can for her daughter. And she's only 18! Oh, by the way, I did leave her some cash for her to use later on after she registers. I am sure there are other stuff she may need to pay for later.</div>
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Anyway, other than stuff for Dilla, among the things I managed to collect from donors were some new (old stock) children clothings. So there were stuff for Dilla's younger siblings and of course her daughter too. I loved seeing the excited children trying out the clothes. And oh, since I had earlier on delivered an oven and a mixer (donated by my family/friends) for Dahlia and Dilla to start baking at home to earn an income, I was also given 2 types of cookies they had baked (yes, using the donated oven and mixer).</div>
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Next up, I headed over to a nearby supermarket to meet up with another client, Maya. She stays a bit further up north, but Maya agreed to meet me in Taiping. Maya's daughters had been performing quite well in their studies, and this time her 2nd daughter had been offered a place for Asasi. I had another luggage bag in my car meant for this girl. And since I've been told she may need to buy some books and lab kits later, I told her I had already banked in some cash into her account for her to use when the need arises.</div>
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I wish these girls success. Hopefully one day they will become successful women, and they will be able to help others as well, especially their own family.</div>
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Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-25897989377983138212017-05-16T14:49:00.000+08:002017-05-16T14:49:32.984+08:00Helping them get started<div style="text-align: justify;">
While the main objective of Buddies is to provide moral support to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), from time to time and on a case to case basis, we do try to source for funds to help the needy PLHIV families with financial assistance. The financial assistance is however, rather limited, mainly for their children's education, and once in a while, we also approve assistance from our Client's Welfare Fund for hospital transportation to hospital, or for tests not available at government hospitals but still needed to be done.</div>
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Our support is basically to help these PLHIV become independent, not dependent on us. Which is why I love it when any of my clients come up with plans to carry out small businesses as their source of income. But a major factor in carrying out your own business is the need for at least a minimal amount to get started. Buddies however, do not have specific funds for this purpose. So how do I help them? By getting funds from other sources, namely, the social media.</div>
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For the most recent case, when Dahlia mentioned to me that she (together with her daughter, Dilla, the young mother of a 2+ year old girl) plans to start baking at home as their source of income, I was happy about their plan. Dilla had after all completed level 2 of her culinary course and in addition to her interests in pastries, she's also very business-minded. And while she does plan to further her studies, starting the baking business at home will enable her mother, Dahlia, to continue with the business even if Dilla furthers her studies later. With the flexibility of working at home, Dahlia doesn't have to worry about sending her younger children elsewhere while she works.</div>
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But they can't start without some basic needs. An oven, a mixer and other kitchen utensils are needed to get started. I mentioned their plight on my FB page, and within hours, I had more than enough contributions to buy the necessities. Yesterday, I went out to buy a big enough oven, and a sturdy mixer, and this morning I went to deliver the items to Dahlia and Dilla. I also gave them some cash for them to buy some other baking utensils and the raw materials to get started. At least they have some time to bake some samples before Ramadhan begins before taking orders for whatever they're baking. I even ordered for myself one of each type, which I hope to get during my next clinic duty in Taiping in early June. If they're good, I may even recommend to others.</div>
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So far, the other families who got similar assistance are doing okay. 2 clients opted to sell roti canai and were given some minimal cash capital to get started. Both are still selling roti canai. 4 others who could sew, were given sewing machines. All of them are still actively using their sewing machines as their source of income.</div>
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While they may not be rich (yet), at least they are independent enough to have a source of income instead of depending totally on welfare assistance. Hopefully one day their business will grow, and who knows, they may even help others get started... </div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424976298336470690.post-22306108129780161182017-04-15T22:12:00.000+08:002017-04-15T22:12:03.765+08:00After 13 years<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can't remember the exact date I joined Buddies as a volunteer, but I know it was circa April 2004, roughly about the same time as the registration of The Buddies Society of Ipoh Perak. Prior to that Buddies of Ipoh was a unit under Perak Family Planning (now Perak Family Health) Association.</div>
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That means it has been 13 long years. Many things may have changed. If back then, about 70% of new infections were among injecting drug users, and less than 30% were sex-transmitted, nowadays it's the other way round. There has also been a drop in new reported cases. Back then, when our volunteers went to the hospital for clinic duty, we'd be kept busy with the new cases referred to us, sometimes 4 to 5 cases each clinic. Of late, we've had very few cases referred during clinic. Sometimes just one. Sometimes none at all. Very rare we'd have more than one. Which is of course a good thing, unless the "no case referred" was due to no-show by the newly diagnosed case.</div>
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Like any other new volunteers, I too, when I first joined, had to be a trainee under the supervision of a senior volunteer before they could confirm me. And once I was confirmed, one by one, I started getting new cases assigned to me. Being the only female Malay volunteer then (before me there was none), and with so many cases of HIV+ Malay ladies needing help, it was a no-brainer for the volunteers on clinic duty to assign me to cases involving Malay ladies, especially those staying in kampong areas.</div>
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I used to do a lot of home visits back then. For a few of the poor families, I went to visit them monthly without fail, as I knew they needed all the support they could get. Dealing with calls and messages from clients was almost a daily thing. Due to the long list of active clients that I had, I used to have a log book to note down all the calls and visits, so I could have a record to refer to.</div>
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But things have changed of late. I don't visit as frequent as I used to. Initially I wasn't too sure of the reason... maybe I was too busy with admin matters ever since I became the chairman... maybe the families I used to visit are already independent enough and no longer need as much attention... maybe it was because we've had a few more Malay ladies as volunteers to share the burden. </div>
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I do notice however, that the other volunteers in Buddies are also facing the same thing. They are no longer as busy with their HIV clients as they used to be. At least in my case, since I have a long list of clients, and I am also in charge of our Education Sponsorship for Children program, I still keep in touch with some of my clients, and I still do visit a few families from time to time.</div>
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Providing moral and emotional support to People Living with HIV and their families had always been the main objective of Buddies. It is still our main objective, but with lesser new cases referred, maybe we need to consider other objectives as well. We don't want our volunteers to get bored. We're planning to have a volunteer retreat this year, during which we hope to have a brainstorming session to discuss our past achievements and our plans for the future, in order to stay relevant.</div>
Pi Banihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09227545429070294956noreply@blogger.com0