News Article (Al Birr Wa Taqwa Charity Project, 2010)

Four underprivileged families in Belait District receive donation

By Liza Mohd

Awang Sahari bin Dullah and wife receiving the donation. - PHOTOS: LIZA MOHD

Managing Director of Darussalam Holdings, Haji Mahmud, presenting the contribution to Dayang Midah binti Matanim at Kg Sungai Teraban.

Four underprivileged families yesterday morning received contributions from the Darussalam Holdings Company Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Sultan Saiful Rizal Technical College.The contributions were taken to the residences of the needy families by a group comprising officers and staff of Darussalam Holdings led by its Managing Director Haji Mahmud bin Haji Mohamed, who presented the donations that came in the form of daily food supplies and cash.

Also joining the group was Assistant Director of Darussalam Holdings, Dayang Hajah Sufinah binti Haji Sahat.The donations were made under the Amal Al Birr Wa Taqwa project run by Darussalam Holding's Human Resource and Corporate Department.The project which has entered its second year is aimed at assisting low-income and destitute families in the country.

The donations are also carried out in conjunction with the holy Ramadhan and Syawal month, so as to ease the burden of the underprivileged families during the fasting month as well as celebrating Hari Raya.The first family visited by the group was that of 69-year-old Awang Maidin bin Rimba, who stays with 10 other family members including his wife Dayang Midah Matanim, 57, their eight-year-old son who has never been to school and three grandchildren, the youngest being a year old. The family is staying near the Kampong Sungai Teraban river bank in a dilapidated house.

The group then headed to the residence of Awang Sahari bin Dullah, 72, who is currently staying with his wife, Dayang Fatimah Manan, 78, and their daughter who is suffering from mental illness and also their 14-year-old granddaughter studying at Perdana Wazir Secondary School.The family has no proper income apart from receiving old-age pension and welfare assistance amounting to $750 a month for a period of two years. The assistance will expire this October. The house they live in is also in a bad condition with the bridge leading to the house on the verge of collapsing.

The group later visited the home of Dayang Sainah binti Muhd Yusof who is staying alone at Kampong Baru Jalan Sungai Bera in Seria. She is currently suffering from mental illness and has no siblings.Finally, the group headed to the residence of Awang Japar bin Aran at Kampong Jalan Jerambak Seria. He is staying in a dilapidated house with 26 other family members. He only earns a meagre income and cannot afford to support all his dependants as well as to carry out repairs, as floodwaters constantly enter his home during heavy rains thus causing more damage to the house.