The following questions were posed by a citizen journalist to Paul Wong (a social activist in Kuala Lumpur): Gnanam is an underprivileged Indian boy who came from a broken home.
He spent about 5 years in a welfare home in Malacca and completed his secondary education there.
When he came home to his parents' home in Kuala Lumpur, he did not have the opportunity to spend more time with his father; his father was arrested by the police for theft charges.
Whilst in custody, he died and there were allegations of police involvement in the cause of death.
Since the incident which happened in June 2009, the family has struggled to make ends meet.
What makes you want to help him (Gnanam)? It is hardly surprising that some people are indifferent to the distress and miseries faced by others in our society; the lack of compassion and the selfish-attitude of some dictates such a course.
The decision to help, and the extent of help, lies in each and every one of us.
It is always so much easier to turn away from seeing hardship and tragedy experienced by others.
Some people have the phobia that if they are seen to be donating, their immediate fear is that others will be looking also for them for donation.
Others don't walk the talk; they preach about doing something but it's all bull actually.
To face such adversities head-on in reality, I think it will awaken you to a new dimension, to deal with conviction.
Problems seemed impossible to be unsolved (though at times the frustration of mobilizing and channeling the right kind of assistance can be a test on one's patience and faith.
What do you hope to achieve by helping him in his tertiary education? In the final analysis, I opined that Gnanam has the right aptitude to continue with education given an opportunity to do.
His rather good academic grades (PMR & SPM) which he attained whilst spending about 5 years of his childhood in a rumah kebajikan (welfare home) in Melaka is good testimony of the fact that despite being placed away from his parents & siblings (arising from a weakened family infrastructure) he had braved the trauma of spending these 5 years with strangers and put in a concerted effort in his studies.
In the recent interview meeting with college lecturer and administrator, the latter sized up on Gnanam's aptitude and character standing and were equally confident of Gnanam being able to excel in higher education.
I achieve nothing other than the ability to open windows of opportunities through a mapped educational path as advised by the college counsellors.
Are there any moral supports for you from civil society? Any negative remarks? Moral support came from a handful of well-wishers comprising friends.
I am trying to do a donation campaign to raise funds to cover contingencies such as day-to-day expenses, course/examination fees (CLP) - but appears to face zero response from civil society.
I have yet to be notified of negative remarks as to what I am doing to help Gnanam & family ( who are caught in a poverty trap).
In the absence of welfare aid which I am given to understand by Mr Loo (YB Elizabeth Wong's P.
A.
) is not forthcoming by virtue of the fact that Gnanam and some of his siblings are in some form of employment, the family is more often than not to be in dire straits.
Added to the woes is the fact that the mother is not working as she has to tend to her youngest son (of 6 years) and a daughter (age 14 years) who is of poor health.
I personally feel that negative remarks (if any) will be uncalled for if the accuser does so with folded arms and not give a helping hand in the first place.
Until now how much you have to fork out from your own pocket? I think it is immaterial as to the quantum of support (financial or otherwise) from my personal coffer in trying to help Gnanam.
He actually realized that the situation faced by him and his family has forced him to take over the breadwinner's role, a role previously held by his father until the latter's untimely demise whilst in police custody.
Whatever he earns from his job goes to the mother for daily upkeep.
My contribution has met the objective of easing his financial burdens especially during trying times.
In my numerous encounters with Gnanam during his working days he has shown himself to be a worker committed to his job and with discipline.
A financial plan which I have mapped out in my 6-Point Charity Fund Model is something which I think will help people like Gnanam.
When I explained to him the workings of the financial plan, it brought a ray of hope for a new lease of life for him & his family.
No matter how small a contribution from civil society, it will go a long way towards helping Gnanam.
It has to be a joint effort from each and every one of us.
How do you think you can manage the funds when collected? Of course the donation campaign requires checks and balances and transparency in funds collection and disbursement.
Since inception till now I have taken upon myself to mobilize funds and channel to Gnanam as the need arise.
I have yet to see anyone approaching me to give a helping hand on this matter.
My door is always opened but for now, I have no alternative but to carry on singly, if I must; so that Gnanam stays on track.
Surely everyone knows how terrible it is to be dirt broke.
Meanwhile the blog is always updated with the latest scenario on the funds received/disbursed.
This time is for Gnanam, and will you Ah Chong and Ahmad as well? If I may say, the decision is in each and every one of us whether we would like to help someone in dire straits regardless of race, religion or colour.
A streak of compassion in you will surely trigger you to performance of acts of charity of all sorts.
No hard & fast rule.
How far one will go to lend support is again subjective, depending on the situation and can only be decided by the person concerned.