150 families receive ‘Back to School’ aid
KOTA KINABALU: The Zakat and Fitrah Division of Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) continued its ‘Back to School’ programme for the less fortunate by assisting 150 families in Sepanggar and Kota Kinabalu.
The families each received RM300 to purchase schooling supplies for a school-going child, said the division’s Assistant Secretary (Kebajikan Asnaf) Suzika Suhul.
She said that the annual programme, aims to alleviate the burden of families in preparing for the schooling session for asnaf children, which is scheduled to begin on March 11.
“We have divided this programme into seven zones, with 250 asnaf recipients in each zone. Each recipient receives the assistance of RM300 in the form of school supplies,” she said when met at a supermarket in Likas on Wednesday where the program was conducted.
Suzika added that they have implemented the programme so far in Kudat, Tawau, Sandakan, Papar and Kota Kinabalu.
The next phases of the programme will be conducted in the Beaufort and Lahad Datu on March 10.
Meanwhile Dasimah Abdul Lelah who accompanied her nine-year-old daughter Nurzarah Arissa Perry in the programme, expressed her gratitude to MUIS for choosing their family as one of the recipients for the assistance.
“We have two school-going children and will spend more than RM1,000 to prepare them for the new school year.
“This is a burden for us as I work part-time while my husband is a fisherman,” she said.
Nurzarah is studying at SK Pulau Gaya.
Salesman Alim Zakaria is equally grateful to MUIS for the assistance that was given to his son Mohd Adli who will be entering Primary Six in SK Tanjung Aru.
Mohd Adli is the youngest of their five children, he said, adding that another one of their children will be in Form Five this year.
His wife Masnah Osman said the RM300 will help a lot as things are more expensive nowadays.