KUALA LUMPUR: Everyone who needs food aid has a story.
For 48-year-old Mohammad Jaafar, he could barely hold his tears each time he spoke of his family’s situation.
Jaafar became a single parent of four after his wife passed away several years ago.
Despite his burden, he has adopted two children from his relatives, as the children's biological father is a hardcore drug addict.
Jaafar makes ends meet by working in a ‘kedai kopi’ (coffee shop). He gets paid between RM600 to RM800 a month making roti canai at the shop.
Sometimes, he would skip meals so that his children don't go hungry.
Sometimes, despite his best efforts, he cannot provide enough food and they have to go hungry, but he is glad they do not complain.
"The kids have problems getting enough to eat. Sometimes, I can only give them 20 cents to take to school.
“I know it is not much but that’s all I can give,” he told the New Straits Times.
Jaafar has tried to apply for government welfare but did not qualify on grounds that he was able-bodied.
He has been getting help from Hope Worldwide Malaysia, a branch of Hope Worldwide, an international non-profit charity organisation based in the United States.
Hope Worldwide Malaysia country director Darick Wong said the problem of finding enough food is especially severe among households headed by single parents with children.
“We have met many parents who are struggling to feed their children, or forced to choose between eating and sending the children to school.
"Poverty is forcing families to put children to work,” he said.
Wong said his organisation tried to help them meet basic needs so that it will be less tough on them to emerge later in life and stand on their own feet.
Each year, Hope Worldwide Malaysia conducts interviews with poor families in Sentul.
The data helps them to accurately target the most needy families who need relief.
The programme, which has been ongoing for many years, helps about 200 families annually. The families receive aid in the form of monthly groceries.
Wong described it as a straightforward effort that helped the poor and underscores the generosity of fellow Malaysians to help in donations and in kind.
"We can make a difference in their lives even with a little.
“It doesn't demand that much, just a little of what we have and a little of our time,” he said, noting that volunteers help to make the food programme a success.
Hope Worldwide Malaysia also works with corporate partners to capture and build on existing support including via employee volunteering programmes.
For details on how to volunteer and help the poor, visit www.hopeww.org.my or contact Wong at 012-2320808.