My Experience — IGNITERS SABAH 2017 (Part 2)
There is no source of electricity in Kampung Malingu and as for clean water supply, they depend on rain water, which leads questions to appear in my mind — what if there’s no rain for many days? What if they ran out of water? How do they clean themselves then? Water is vital for daily activities especially for hygienic purposes, and I cannot possibly imagine living without clean water supply.
A fellow volunteer told me that the parents there want to teach their children more about religion, but they themselves do not know how to read and write. They do, however, know how to recite Al-Fatihah by following the sounds of the surah. A mother wants her 16-year-old son to further his studies in Islamic studies so that he could come back to the village and teach everyone else. It’s heartbreaking to see how these parents want to do so much for their children, more than anything in the world, but they can’t because of monetary and environmental constraints.
We were back in Kampung Selangan by dawn, after we finished our activities planned out for the day — mingling around with the locals, inserting wooden poles for the new surau, doing a free medical check up for both locals and volunteers, and giving donations.
On our third day, we decided to visit a few sick locals in Kampung Selangan. Because of their sickness, they were unable to come to the surau and join the activities we plan for them. We split into two teams, and the team I was with visited an elderly couple who were probably in their 90s. The wife could not walk and depends on her husband to do all the cooking and cleaning. She has a skin disease which causes it to be itchy, and scaly and dry patches to appear on her skin. Her skin requires continuous care and attention by putting on moisturising lotion but they could not afford so.
A house in Kampung Selangan.
As for the children of Kampung Selangan, we planned a lot of mini games (sukaneka) for them. Later in that evening, all volunteers prepared our own checkpoints. All the checkpoints had been planned and told beforehand by the Module Unit. After that, we had a mengaji session with them, to revise what they know and improve their readings, with the hopes that they will be able to read the Quran better and more smoothly inshaAllah. Spending the evening with the kids was unforgettable. Hearing them laugh and enjoying the activities we made for them are priceless.
Our third night was our last night in Kampung Selangan, and we began to feel sad to leave the village and the island sooner than we thought. We had dinner together with the locals, and a simple and short closing ceremony after that. Donations were then given to them.
Even with this long article, there is still so much to tell. During the entire programme of four days and three nights, the people of Kampung Selangan and Kampung Malingu have my utmost respect for their determination and enthusiasm in trying to make the world a better place. We were so overwhelmed of how the locals accept us with open arms and treat us like no other, like all of us are a part of their families. I pray nothing but the best for them. May Allah bless and shower them with happiness, always.
Pictures taken by Amalin Mahadi.
Article written by Nurhanani Halim Azhar.
Both are volunteers of Igniters 2017 and students of the University of Essex, UK.
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