Beyond race, religion

> Early hardships motivate woman to help the less fortunate

PETALING JAYA: It was the hardship during childhood that motivated MyHero Award 2.0 winner, Wong Siew Sin ( pix), to help the less fortunate.

The 57-year-old Sabahan, fondly known as Dolly, believes in helping those in need regardless of race, colour or religion.

Her selfless deeds won the hearts of residents in Muslimmajority Kampung Cenderakasih near Kota Kinabalu, who allowed her to preside over the village’s Rukun Tetangga despite her Catholic background.

“My life’s journey has always been linked to helping other people. Helping others brings me great fulfilment,” said Dolly, who has 12 siblings. Her father was the sole breadwinner and worked as a lorry driver, while her mother was a housewife.

With her father away at work and her mother suffering from a long illness, the responsibility of caring for, cooking and feeding her siblings fell on her shoulders at a very young age.

“I used to cry at night over the hardships I had to endure. The hardships and poverty drove me to help others struggling with their lives.” Dolly, who works as a smallscale contractor, would use part of her earnings for charity work, which included giving donations to places of worship.

She donated to a mosque in Kampung Cenderakasih to build a water tank for Muslims to do their ablution, and also to buy tables and chairs for Quran reading classes.

When Sabah was hit by an earthquake last year, Dolly was among the first to help by driving a truck load of fresh water and food to affected villages.

The MyHero Award 2.0, jointly organised by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and Nanyang Siang Pau, is supported by the National Unity and Integration Department, the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia, with corporate partner Sunsuria Bhd and sponsored by the Bank of China.