This 23-Year-Old Is Raising Funds For The Elderly In His Village So They Don't Go Hungry
The rainy season has made it difficult for villagers to stock up on food and basic necessities.
By Samantha Khor — 21 Dec 2018, 07:17 PM
For as long as Agosly a/l Andok could remember, the arrival of the rainy season has seldom boded well for the Orang Asli community in his village at RPS Pos Kemar, Perak
Every time the weather takes a turn for the worse, the young man recalls, villages in the settlement would face a shortage of food supplies as the season drags on.
As such, villagers often had to risk their lives to scour for food or go hunting in the perilous jungle for days just to put food on the table.
The elderly are hit especially hard in these stormy times, as most of them are unable to risk going into the jungle. To complicate things, the alternative - travelling to the nearest town - is almost impossible during bad weather and high water tides.
The Pos Kemar native revealed that travel to Gerik - where the villagers often buy food and necessities from - can take up to four hours from the inlands during stormy weather.
"The challenging geographical location - two hours by motorbike on gravel roads and one hour by boat across Temenggor Lake - has made it harder for them to travel to buy their daily necessities," he added.
As such, the 23-year-old is hoping to lighten their burden with his Bantuan Warga Emas food box initiative, which will benefit about 100 aging villagers from 15 villages in the settlement
The college graduate is looking at preparing 100 food boxes, each containing 18 food items and necessities such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, soap, mosquito repellent, and dental care products.
Each food box, which Agosly expects will cost about RM114 to put together, is expected to sustain the elders for at least a month.
With support from NGOHub, Agosly has launched a crowdfunding campaign with hopes to raise RM10,500 to cover the costs of his Bantuan Warga Emas initiative
At the time of writing, the campaign has only managed to raise RM30, so that's quite a ways to go 'til it reaches its goal!
If you'd like to contribute to Agosly's cause, simply head over to the fundraiser's page here.