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"Sometimes, it’s not just giving them groceries. Sometimes we also need to provide support for these people.”
Nurhidayu, 29, is no stranger to doing Iftar and groceries distributions with her family and friends.
“For the last two Ramadhans, we actually did our own distributions, where we also gave out groceries, with our own pocket money. At that time, we just collected funds from our own family members and then we bought the items. It’s not much, but Alhamdulillah we managed to put a smile on their faces,” Nurhidayu shared with us.
We met Nurhidayu and her friend, Farhana, during the monthly distributions for the month of March, where they joined our Global Ehsan Relief Singapore team in distributing groceries and financial aid to 70 beneficiaries islandwide. More than $8,000 was disbursed for eight separate projects.
For volunteers like Nurhidayu, the experience joining in for the team’s distribution is an eye-opening one.
“The experience today was good. The thing that impacted me the most and saddens me is the second last house that we visited. After hearing her story, we found out that her children are the ones affected the most (from her husband’s passing).
So I think there’s a lot more things that we have to venture out then you can really know people’s struggles. Because sometimes we think that we ourselves are struggling a lot, but when you really do this (volunteering), you can actually hear and see other people. So, it’s a lesson for us that the grass is not always greener on the other side.”
Besides gaining a new experience while also helping the people who need it, Nurhidayu values the importance of not just providing financial support, but also going beyond that.
“Volunteering is not only by helping people, you can also contribute to the environment. And for people, sometimes it’s not just giving them groceries. Sometimes we also need to provide support for these people. For instance, just now the beneficiary also shared with us that she sometimes approaches someone, in her case, her SSO officer, to express her feelings. That is very important because we all need someone to be with us."
This is something that we should all strive in - to be a pillar of support for those around us, especially for the less privileged in our community.
“This Ramadhan I really hope to do something similar like what we did today, and also what my family and I carried out in the past two Ramadhans. So we hope to do it again, on our own or even through Global Ehsan Relief Singapore. We really want to contribute,” Nurhidayu said.
You can also make an impact this Ramadhan but continuing to contribute to our Ehsan Ramadhan 2022 campaign, especially our Ramadhan Daily Iftar Meals, where we will be delivering Iftar to the families who need it most everyday.
Share your Blessings this Ramadhan!