GEORGE TOWN: Twenty-one orphans broke fast at Hotel Sentral Georgetown in Lorong Kinta recently.
The children, who mostly had lost their fathers, were brought to the hotel to celebrate Ramadan.
The countenance of happiness was reflected in each of the children’s faces. They were laughing together with the hotel’s staff while enjoying their dinner.
For Darwisy Fizri Mazlan, it was one of the most memorable moments in his life.
The 14-year-old boy could not stop smiling and expressed his gratitude for the treat .
“I feel so grateful to know that there are people who care for children like me.
“Usually, people only gave treats to children at the orphanage who had lost both of their parents.
“It is so rare to hear an orphan who lives with their mother or father being celebrated. It makes me so happy,” he said, adding that it was his second time breaking fast at a hotel.
Sharing similar sentiments with Darwisy were sisters Nur Shafira Azwani Rosli, 16, and Nur Shafira Rosli, 13.
The sisters were delighted with their first-ever dining in a hotel.
“We have never had a chance to eat in a hotel before. We are touched by the invitation and the generosity showed by the organiser,” they said.
Hotel manager Steven Ang Cheng Ling said the treat was one of the hotel’s ways to engage with the orphans.
“We want to celebrate with the children who had lost their parents and who have been overlooked by other organisations.
“We have worked together with several non-government organisations to identify these children.
“We want these children to feel the pleasure of Ramadan like other children do,” he said, adding that it was the first Ramadan programme for the hotel since it was established in 2012.