At times acts of charity seem impractical because, after all, everyone has their own mouths to feed and bills to pay and every single sen counts.

Lower-income households have been the hardest hit financially by the pandemic and finding a lifeline can sometimes seem like a miracle.

However, now there’s Kuan Chee Heng, affectionately known as Uncle Kentang.

He believes there is no specific time and place for charity and one should strive to help one’s fellow man at all times.

For the underprivileged living in the Klang Valley, Kuan is something of a folk hero. He has started several initiatives, ranging from a RM1 funeral hearse service to a 10 sen taxi service.

At present, he and his organisation, Community Policing Malaysia, are working on a mobile application that would allow the poor to inform him of their needs and their current location.

With so many initiatives that provide help where it is needed most, it is fair to wonder why Kuan does what he does for little benefit to himself.

The 57-year-old sat down with FMT to explain what set his journey in motion and where he got his unusual nickname.

“I got the nickname Uncle Kentang when we were providing food to the poor. We did not tell anyone our names but we always brought with us a packet of potatoes,” he said.

Without knowing whom to thank, many people believed the packets of potatoes were from Kuan, and they started calling him Uncle Kentang.

Kuan is an entrepreneur with many years of experience but life was not always easy for him and his family. “I am from a poor family, a rubber tapper’s family.”

Kuan understands poverty because of his own life experiences, and he has decided to dedicate the rest of his life to helping the needy.

At first, he focused on food aid, “When you see a lot of people not being able to eat, unable to find food, I thought, ‘Why don’t we try to give them some food?’”

But soon he was told that the sick and poor were unable to get medical attention because they could not afford to travel to the hospital.

“When poor people need to go to the hospital, it’s a lot of hassle for them. They need to take bus after bus after bus.”

So, without a moment’s hesitation, Kuan set up a taxi service that charged only 10 sen to take the sick to medical facilities and back home.

As news of his acts of kindness spread, calls started pouring in from far and wide, informing him of people in desperate need of help.

Despite the sheer numbers who call on him, he tries his best to help everyone, and the support of the public and his friends allows him to continue offering aid.

He has organised many community events, even opening a market earlier this year that sold everything and anything for 10 sen.

“We encouraged people to meet, to exchange information, to exchange ideas and to get to know each other. When people know each other, everyone knows who’s who,” he said.

In that way, he said, community bonds are strengthened and people are brought together to look after each other.

He emphasises that the underprivileged are a part of society and they should not be left to struggle alone.

Social harmony could come under threat if the underprivileged were to feel abandoned by the rest of society, hence the importance of loving and caring for one’s neighbours.

Kuan believes that government welfare programmes, despite their good intentions, are at times inadequate and many people slip through the cracks. The rise of poverty in urban and rural areas stretches limited resources even further.

He believes that Malaysians are caring people but sometimes lack the organisation to do anything meaningful. This includes young Malaysians who need guidance on what they can do and how they can help.

While he is proud of what he has accomplished, he says that often the suffering of the people takes an emotional toll on him. Despite his best attempts to help, some people, the terminally ill poor for example, simply cannot be saved.

“There is a lot of suffering that I cannot help with. And it can get very emotional for me,” he said.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it impossible for Kuan to meet with people directly to help them because of safety concerns.

In addition to more calls for help, he has also noticed a rise in mental distress among the poor, who are undoubtedly worried by the economic costs of the pandemic.

Together with trained medical professionals, he provides counselling to troubled people in need of a kind word.

What Kuan hopes for right now is, “A better Malaysia. One that is more united and more caring”.

He has a simple piece of advice for those who want to help their fellow Malaysians, “Start small.”

Even the smallest act of kindness will eventually motivate people to do bigger things.

“Just give a smile to brighten someone’s day,” he suggested.

If you wish to donate in the form of personal belongings or funds, contact Kuan and his team at Kentang Fund through 018-2683999.