KUALA LUMPUR: While hundreds if not thousands of volunteers and donors have stepped up to assist victims of the Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam floods, two close friends in the Klang Valley turned their attention to flood victims in Pahang.
Using their own cars, Sivagami Selvarajan and Natasha Anne (pix) took time off and went around the Klang Valley collecting goods such as dry food items, diapers, sanitary napkins, used clothes and other essentials contributed by dozens of donors.
The donations poured in after the 30-year-olds who went to college together had put out the word for the goods in social media channels such as Instagram.
Within days, they had gathered almost a tonne of the items and raised RM3,000.
Together with another friend who is coordinating a donation drive in Pahang, they managed to get a lorry operator who volunteered to ferry the goods to a collection centre in Bentong.
Last night, the womenâs tireless efforts paid off when a lorry filled to its brim with the donated items they had gathered left for its destination and the cash they had raised was handed over to their Pahang counterpart for the welfare of the flood victims.
âThe items will be sorted out in Bentong before being distributed to flood victims at various districts in Pahang. We were touched by the efforts taken by volunteers at Taman Sri Muda who bravely went on a mission to rescue the victims and generously contributed meals to them. Fellow Malaysians have come together as a family to look out for each other. We felt we should do our part too,â said content writer Sivagami.
Natasha, a legal adviser, said she and Sivagami will travel to Bentong today where they will join other volunteers to distribute the donations to Pahang flood victims.
âThe flood victims in Pahang were also hit hard by this disaster. We have them in our thoughts too and we want to help them out in our own small way,â Natasha told theSun when met at the compound of University of Malaya here where she and Sivagami were loading up their car with contributions from donors.
A donor, who declined to be named and handed over diapers, sanitary napkins and used clothes to the women, praised Sivagamy and Natasha for their noble efforts.
âI am pleased to have met two of the thousands of fine Malaysians who have joined hands to care for our unfortunate brethren in the flood-hit areas. Like a big family, this is clear proof of how united we are on the ground regardless of race and religion. The rakyatâs contributions are overwhelming. We do not need to expect and rely on parties who have made empty promises. We have us standing by each other,â she said.
