A mother dropped by Dignity for Children Foundation (Dignity) recently to pass the NGO two letters from her two children along with cash donations.
In her letter, eight-year-old Jojo said that she sold her bicycle and is donating the proceeds to Dignity “so that other children who need it can buy food. Her 10-year-old brother Ethan is emptying his piggy bank to do the same. “It is not a lot but I hope it can cheer up your day,” he wrote.
Like many NGOs around the country, Dignity for Children Foundation is working hard to raise funds to help struggling Malaysians.
Looking beyond food aid, Dignity launched its Conspiracy of Kindness appeal to help families who have lost jobs to pay rent, struggling single parents to get some form of income and to pay fees for children to continue with online schooling. Little did it expect the appeal to touch even the hearts of children and that these little ones would step up and be counted.
Said Pastor Elisha Satvinder, Co-founder of Dignity: “What an encouragement at a time when we truly need it. Jojo’s and Ethan’s act of kindness have lifted our spirits. Even children are chipping in to help fellow Malaysians.”
Since the start of the EMCO, Dignity has been distributing food to those in need. Their work took a more urgent turn when the it found out that the father of one of its students was contemplating suicide. He had lost his income, got himself into debts and is in danger of being evicted from his home. He has not paid rent for six months.
“We realised that we have to move faster to meet the needs of those who have no income because of the multiple lockdowns. During the first MCO in 2020, Malaysia recorded 266 suicides between March 18 and October 30. This number is growing as the pandemic and MCOs in various forms continue,” commented Pastor Elisha.
Dignity is now dealing with 18 families who have not been paying rentals because they no longer have jobs. It is also in touch with 52 single mothers who are struggling to get some form of income. Its Mental Health team is dealing with numerous potential suicide cases.
Dignity’s Conspiracy of Kindness appeal was launched to help families in precarious situations so that they continue to have a roof over their heads while looking for a source of income.
Malaysians who want to be part of this conspiracy of kindness can do so by logging on to https://dignityforchildren.org/empower-a-child/gift-catalogue. All donations are tax exempted. – The Vibes, July 19, 2021
