On Saturday, 11 July 2020, the Leo Club of St. Joseph’s Private School visited a family that is in dire need as the single mother, Ms. Nur Karmina had recently lost her job due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation. The Organising Chairperson for this visit was Lion Heng Aik Ban from the sponsoring Lions Club of Kuching City.
The visit was attended by 5 representatives who were Leo Club President Xavier Liao, Leo Club Secretary Fredrick Tiong, Leo Club Advisor Lion Helena Lim, Faculty Advisor Mr John Yap and Lion Heng Aik Ban who is also the Leo Advisor for SM Lodge Leo Club.
At 7:10 a.m., we assembled at the carpark in front of Forda Supermarket to gather all the donations that were soon to be given to the family. After some discussion among us, Leo Club advisor Lion Helena Lim escorted us to a housing area about 150 meters from Forda while the 4 of us were designated with the task to help carry donations.
Upon arrival at the house, we were greeted with warm welcomes by the occupants who lived there. After exchanging a few words, we handed over the donations which included clothes, food such as chocolate and canned food. St. Joseph’s Private School contributed some canned food, goodies, clothes and beddings for the single mother with five children. Lions Club of Kuching City also handed three boxes of Anmum Milk Powder (sponsored by Fonterra Sdn. Bhd.) and face masks for the 5 children who will be going to school in August. We also took a few photos with the children to keep as a record for the club report.
Consequently, we played with the young kids that were cheerful and playful at all times. We played simple games like ‘hide and seek’ and were sure that the kids had a lot of fun as they were exhausted at the end of the activity. It was truly wonderful how the kids could still be in such positive and happy mindset at unfortunate times like this.
Shortly after, Ms. Nur Karmina decided to show us around the house as we noticed the run-down conditions of the home. Faculty Advisor Mr John Yap, Leo President Xavier Liao and Secretary Fredrick spent some time interacting with the family and did a need analysis. The electricity was barely functioning and there were old mangy mattresses strewn out everywhere. We could see that the house needed some repairing and agreed among ourselves that we would return soon to bring over brand new mattresses for the family. For the time being, Lion Sheila Adenan had found her a part time job on weekends to help her sustain her family.
At around 8:45 a.m., we bid farewell to the family and left with an open heart. We hope that the family will be able to get back on their feet soon.
• Fredrick Tiong Ze (Secretary of SJPS Leo Club)
