WHEN a freak gust of wind blew off the roof of her Kampung Nyiru Gait home in Puncak Borneo during the monsoon season in November 2022, Ranyo Renggong was left in despair.
Frail, elderly, and without a husband, the 81-year-old grandmother could only watch as the rain soaked everything on the second floor of her two-storey house, home to her four sons, one daughter, and their families.
When the civil society organisation Hidup learned of her predicament, help to fix the blown roof was quickly on the way.
With no help forthcoming from the “usual sources”, Kampung Nyiru Gait's village security and development committee (JKKK) sought Hidup's assistance.
Hidup, which stands for Habitat Indigenous Daerah Untuk Pemulihan, was founded by two friends, George Young Si Ricord Junior and Charles Gines, in 2018 to enhance the lives of indigenous and urban poor.
“We extend our hands to the less privileged regardless of race, creed, or religion,” said Young, the president.
Young soon enlisted Kuching steel roof maker, Asteel Group, to provide roofing materials, and the JKKK provided the manpower. Asteel is one of the biggest integrated steel mills in Borneo.
The roofs of a few houses were reportedly blown away on that November 25, 2022, but Ranyo's house was the most severely damaged. The wall on one side of her house was also ripped apart.
The elderly widow is just one example of the work Hidup does for Kuching's urban poor.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Hidup intensified its outreach programmes. “We organised the distribution of food baskets and other basic essentials to around 1,000 families in dire need,” said Young. Most of these families were left without financial resources as the breadwinners, lowly paid general workers, lost their jobs due to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the virus.
Many of them lived on Kuching's outskirts, like Kampung Quop, Taman Samarindah in Samarahan, and several villages along the Puncak Borneo Road.
Apart from distributing food, Hidup also helped arrange the sanitisation of suraus, masjids, churches, and schools.
“What we do is in keeping with our motto, 'Leaving No Family Behind',” said Young.
Hidup's work generally involves galvanising a “collaborative effort” with corporate bodies, the elected assemblymen of the affected areas, government agencies, and ministries. “With the Health Department and private clinics, we conduct health screenings, eye care, dental care, and breast cancer awareness talks,” Young added.
If Hidup has one wish for this year, Young said it is to have a daycare for special needs children, complete with occupational therapists, in all district health clinics. “That's number one on our wish list.” – July 21, 2024.
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