As health officials continue to urge us to stay at home to stop the spread, we must remember that staying at home is a privilege. Yes, the pandemic is hard for us all, but it is important to acknowledge the different realities others face with underprivileged families being affected the most.
Some members of these disadvantaged groups depend on a daily income to take care of their families and themselves, so the negative economic impact has left them even more vulnerable. Staying at home also poses a threat to women and children who have to live with their abusers.
We must stand together and support these severely affected communities, as well as frontline workers who might be heroes but are also still human – they are struggling to work around the clock with the limited resources available.
NGOs have proven to necessity these past few months, so here’s how you can help:
- Donate to emergency food aid boxes
Charity Right Malaysia reduces the burden of families by providing them with a steady supply of meals every month. They aim to keep children in school instead of having to quit and support their family.
2. Buy a meal for someone in need
Sponsor hearty meals for charity homes through Ari’s Offering. Their social giving programme allows you to make recurring donations with every RM10 contributing to a meal.
3. Help Sabah’s healthcare system
The lack of medical resources, including hospital beds, has Sabah struggling with their overwhelming amount of cases. Mercy Malaysia is raising funds for medical equipment and you can find more ways to help, even with their mental health, here.
4. Support domestic abusive survivors
The Women’s Aid Organisation provides mental health and crisis support to women and children who have experienced abuse. Lockdowns, around the world, have caused a rise in domestic violence.
5. Supply frontlines with personal protective equipment
Semporna Heroes helps assist hospital workers, collecting funds to purchase food and medical supplies for frontliners. They also donate carepacks to struggling communities in Semporna.
This is why we need to work together and do our best to help each other out. It may seem like a small act to some, but your donation can make a huge difference!
For the first episode of Breaking! – a series that aims to break stigmas, stereotypes, boundaries and barriers through simple conversations, we invited four East Malaysians to share the disconnect they’ve been facing in West Malaysia.
Although Sarawak and Sabah are the biggest states in Malaysia, their physical separation from the peninsular has them often overlooked and othered by their own country.
“There’s definitely a disparity to me,” says Ellysha, a student from Sarawak, “especially with the culture”. She noticed that people are more segregated in West Malaysia compared to the multicultural and multi-religious Borneo. “I got really shocked when people were really interested in my religion or race.”
Samuel, a fresh graduate from Sabah, was also startled by the ignorance that still exists. He shares that “do you live in trees?” continues to be a common stereotype. “Yeah, we even have WiFi on the tree”, is his comeback to the off-colour joke.
Stereotypes are used to oppress minorities. Elena, a freelancer from Sabah, asks West Malaysians to recognise their privilege and use it to help East Malaysians. She worries that because of their lack of access to good education and reliable information, ” When some Sabahans don’t know better – I really hope West Malaysians won’t take advantage of that”.
How can we improve this cultural incompetence? Aniq, an actor from Sarawak, simplifies the solution to “stop talking and listen to us”. He sees media as a powerful tool and calls for more representation both in front of and behind the camera to help amplify their voices. “Redefine what Malaysia looks like to you … There’s more than just this one narrative – it’s diverse.”
