KOTA BARU – Feeling helpless and depressed after three days of surviving on biscuits as she had run out of rice, a single mother flew a white flag in front of her house calling for help from others in her neighbourhood.
Rohayah Che Samah, 50, said she did that as her savings were running out and she had in fact run out of rice three days ago.
Rohayah, who lives with her youngest child, daughter Amalina Kamaraddin, 14, said they had been eating biscuits and cakes donated by neighbours since then.
“I put up the white flag as asked to do so by my younger sister after often telling her about my problems, so that people would come to assist me.
“I actually did not know about the white flag (campaign) to seek help. Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) as after I flew the white flag, people came with aid,” she said when met at her house here today.
Rohayah and Amalina live in a 300 sq ft rented house in Kg Pulau Kundor, Pengkalan Chepa.
The mother of six said she was financially constrained as she was only depending on her small earnings from batik painting at RM2 per piece.
“The most I earn in a day is from painting seven pieces of batik and with the movement control order, there are not many pieces of cloth to be painted.
“My other children, who are in Kuala Lumpur, are unable to support me as they have ordinary jobs and their income is also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” she lamented.
Rohayah, who hails from Salor, Kota Baru, said it was difficult for her to receive financial aid from the authorities as she had an official divorce document.
Earlier, Muhammad Abdul Munib Zakaria, the special officer to the Pengkalan Chepa MP, handed over cash and food to Rohayah after a photo of the white flag flying in front of her house went viral on WhatsApp and Facebook since this morning. – Bernama, June 30, 2021
