A RETIRED retired newspaper editor who opened her home to five stateless children and doggedly persevered through the ardous process of securing citizenship for them has received the “Extra Mile” Award from the Rotary Club of Ara Damansara (RCAD).
For Sheila Rahman Natarajan, an ex-editor of Sunday Mail, it has been eight long years of challenges in looking after the well-being of the five as well as battling bureaucracy in her relentless pursuit of rightful citizenship for them.
Finally, the last two of the five received their long-coveted MyKad on Sept 22 and Sheila was awarded this unique accolade from RCAD at its 9 th Installation Dinner recently.
RCAD president Siraanjivi Ganasan presented its inaugural “Extra Mile” Award to Sheila honouring her tireless humanitarian efforts that helped the five finally becoming Malaysians.
“The club created this ‘Extra Mile’ Award to honour individuals who exemplify compassion and perseverance beyond the call of duty.
“Sheila’s story is a powerful example of what one person’s persistence and compassion can achieve,” he said.
Aunty Sheila, as RCAD Rotarians call her, got involved in 2017 when she joined her neighbours in helping a struggling family of five stateless children after their mother disappeared, leaving their father, a daily wage earner, to care for them alone.
What started as a simple act of kindness soon became a long-term mission, providing the children with food, education, and a sense of family while working tirelessly to secure their legal identity.
For eight years, Sheila accompanied the children and their father through countless visits to the Welfare Department, National Registration Department, and even ministerial offices, ensuring that every legal step was fulfilled.
Their efforts led to mandatory court-sanctioned guardianship in 2019. This was followed by securing late-registered ‘Bukan Warganegara’ (Non-Citizen) birth certificates for these children in 2021.
After a thorough assessment by the Welfare Department, they achieved legal adoption in 2022 by their father, a prerequisite for citizenship applications.
Her perseverance was finally rewarded on 22 September 2025, when the fourth and fifth child received their MyKad, and were officially recognised as citizens of Malaysia.
While surprised by the Award and fighting back tears, Sheila described the moment as “a little bittersweet.”
“This is a happy ending for my ‘children’, but I know there are still thousands of others, children and adults, who remain in limbo. I hope their turn will come too.” - November 2, 2025
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