Nourishment for the poor and forgotten

2026-03-18 - 00:01

Aida Sharina Mohd Zubri, with four of her eight children, is among 85 families from the Desa Rejang PPR who are receiving food from Free Food Society. (Bani Jamian@FMT) KUALA LUMPUR: Within the confines of a small living room cramped with odds and ends, Aida Sharina Zubri struggles to get up on her feet to feed her eight children. In the People’s Housing Programme (PPR) flat in Desa Rejang, Setapak that the 37-year-old mother shares with her three disabled children, four toddlers and a baby — all born a year apart — life is a constant struggle. Aida had only recently given birth to her youngest and is still enduring the pain from the surgery. The children appear too small and thin for their respective ages, a sign of stunted growth. During the visit by FMT, there was no reaction to the sight and sound of guests entering and leaving their living room, unlike in a typical household with many children where laughter, giggles, and loud noises would fill the air. Rodhiah Dahaban cooking sardines provided by FFS’s “Bakul Makanan” for her five kids to break their fast. (Bani Jamian@FMT) Staying afloat is a challenge. Aida said several of her children still need milk and diapers. “For instance, one of my disabled children still can’t get up to ease himself. I can’t even begin to describe how tough it is,” she told FMT. Deserted by her husband and with no income, Aida depends solely on Baitulmal for financial support. Over the past three years, she has also been receiving food from the Free Food Society (FFS) under the non-profit organisation’s “Bakul Makanan” programme. Twice a month, FFS volunteers come with a food basket. In it are items such as rice, flour, canned food, vegetables, and a chicken. For Aida, this has helped to partly meet the challenge of providing meals for nine — including herself — each day. “After FFS started giving us food, it has really lightened the load a little bit on me. I believe we’ll be okay as long as FFS continues giving us food,” she said. For Aida, the hope is that FFS keeps the programme alive. “If there is no FFS, there is no help for us. FFS is all we have, she said. Widespread problem Aida’s situation is not an isolated case. Thousands of others, who also reside in PPR flats like those in Desa Rejang, are still stuck in the urban poverty cycle. As skyscrapers sprout up around them, the hardcore poor are driven further into the abyss. Many are from broken homes. For instance, Rodhiah Dahaban, 49, a mother of five, has been left to fend for herself and her children since her husband left five years ago. She barely makes ends meet as a cleaner. Rodhiah’s family is one of 85 in the Desa Rejang PPR that benefit from the FFS “bakul makanan” initiative. The money she saves from not having to spend on basic needs goes to school supplies and medical bills. But the food is barely enough for the family of six, so Rodhiah has to scrimp on meals. “Sometimes we just eat rice and eggs with soya sauce. Fortunately, my children are not fussy. They have never complained about not getting to eat chicken, fish or beef,” she told FMT. Despite everything, Rodhiah is grateful for the help extended by FFS. “Of course, more food from FFS would be much appreciated,” she added. In the initial stage, an FFS food basket usually contained a chicken and some vegetables, but since the number of families depending on it has risen from 75 to 85, the food supply has been spread a little thinner. Fikri Khairil Azuan. Children in such an environment also learn to cope quickly. Rodhiah’s third child Fikri Khairil Azuan, 16, told FMT he would sometimes stay hungry to ensure his younger siblings get to fill their tummies. He revealed that at times when there is not enough money or food at home, he would find a job at a restaurant after school or during school holidays to supplement the family income. Despite the challenges and hurdles, Fikri has not given up on his hope for a better future. He wants to be a soldier not just to make his family proud of him but also to support them. The good Samaritan It was the white flag movement during the Covid-19 years that called a group of like-minded individuals to action. FFS President Ali Abdul Kadir and his wife Tina Saw Abdullah talk about how distressing the situation was during Covid-19 as they witnessed many people lose their jobs and homes and did not have enough to eat. (Bani Jamian@FMT) In 2021, former Securities Commission chairman Ali Abdul Kadir and his wife Tina Saw Abdullah, with the help of several others, some with NGO experience, launched a donation drive to help those desperately in need of food and basic essentials. But given that funds were not always available, the supply of food was inconsistent. Despite the challenges, the initiative quickly morphed into a consistent long-term programme to provide food for those in need. Selected hardcore poor families are given dry food items such as rice, condensed milk, sardines, wheat flour, sugar, soy sauce, and yellow noodles early in the month. For the second half of the month, they get onions, potatoes, a chicken, coconut cream and other items. FFS assistant treasurer Rozini Amin said funds were intially more forthcoming because everyone saw the urgency. Rozini Mohd Amin. “Despite being a new NGO, we were getting a lot of donations from big corporations. But once the pandemic ended, the funding dried up, so we decided to switch our focus to sustainable projects. Hence the food and an education initiative,” Rozini told FMT. She said that by relieving single mothers of the need to put food on the table, the hope is that they will spend the little earnings they get on their children’s school supplies. However, she conceded that they had been times when the lack of funding meant that FFS could not fulfil its promise to bring food. Rozini is making an appeal for donations so FFS can continue with its food aid programme at the Desa Rejang PPR. “If everyone contributes a small amount (of money), added together it will be big. So, no donation is too small for us,” she added. FFS needs a minimum of RM200,000 a year to support its food aid programme and a tuition class initiative. Anyone who wishes to support their mission can send donations to Persatuan Makanan Ehsan’s bank account 5643-2461-7332 at Maybank. All donations to FFS are tax exempt. For receipts and inquiries, please contact freefoodsociety@gmail.com.