Passionate about charity
Everyone should discover the love for charity and what it feels like to give back to the society at least once in their lives writes Ferhad Ataillah, 17, of Kolej Yayasan Melaka
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love”. This quote by Mother Teresa proves that even the smallest acts of kindness done with a huge amount of compassion can make a big difference.
Why did I specifically choose this quote? Over the recent holidays, I had discovered an activity that I truly love and am extremely passionate about, which is doing charity.
Sooner or later in life, we will realise that not everyone has the same privilege as we do. Having clothes to wear, clean water to drink, roof for shelter and free education are the things we should not take for granted. This realisation has led me into believing that charity, be it a small act of kindness such as helping a blind man to cross a road or something more extraordinary like opening a school for the underprivileged can all bring positivity in society.
Whilst distributing old clothes and books at a free market to help the flood victims in Trong, Perak, I realised that most of the humanitarians were adults. I personally believe this largely reflects our nation’s youths and their lack of involvement in community service. Before we dive in further regarding this issue, let us discuss on what makes charity the ‘hot potato’ of today’s society.
As an avid sports fan, my daily activities include catching up on my favourite athletes and teams. Two athletes whom I personally admire are Rafael Nadal and LeBron James. Not only are both of them outstanding in their respective fields of sports, they also have one thing in common which is their thorough and continuous involvement in charity.
Rafael Nadal, hailed as the ‘King of Clay’ in modern tennis, has done his bit by establishing the Rafa Nadal Foundation back in 2008. This foundation helps socially disadvantaged children from all walks of life in order to flourish as human beings who can give back to the society.
Meanwhile, LeBron James has gone one step further, with the launch of his ‘I Promise’ school in his hometown – Akron, Ohio – in the US. The school is an effort pioneered by the basketball superstar himself in hopes of nurturing a better future for students in Akron.
These two acts of charity though are based on one common denominator – developing the passion for education through sports. This clearly proves that with the right intentions, whatever passion you have can turn into an act of charity.
In my school – Kolej Yayasan Saad – we are like one big family. We are always ready to lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters who are in need. We are engaged in acts of charity within the school grounds and in the outside community.
An amazing programme which has helped my friends and I develop our love for charity is the Axiata Young Talent Programme. This programme has definitely spearheaded my interest for charity as it aims to bring out the best in students and develop future leaders of the industry. What is a leader if he or she doesn’t give back to the community?
One particular event that I enjoyed was a trip to an Orang Asli settlement in Perak. We were given the opportunity to interact with the locals, as well as raising funds and collecting old clothes, books and toys to be donated to the Orang Asli. A problem that we managed to troubleshoot and find a solution to was the absence of electricity in their homes. We set up mini solar panels on the roofs of their houses and installed light bulbs in their homes.
From my perspective, everyone can benefit from a simple act of charity. You don’t necessarily have to be a doctor to save someone’s life, or even a clown to put a smile on people’s faces. It only takes a small act of kindness to lighten up someone’s day.
However, the satisfaction is unimaginable. We tend to forget how lucky we are to be able to carry out our daily lives in a peaceful society without the disruption of war and discrimination where everyone is united under one flag – Jalur Gemilang.
Let the spirit of freedom and nationalism bring us together into giving back to the society. This small step taken by the leaders of tomorrow can soon steer our country to greater heights.
Let’s work together in achieving this goal and let charity be the tool that unites all Malaysians once and for all.
“You don’t necessarily have to be a doctor to save someone’s life, or even a clown to put a smile on people’s faces.”