This was why she had hoped that Megalah, her oldest child, would obtain a postgraduate degree. Sadly, she passed away when Megalah was only 10 years old.
Life changed for her family after that, Megalah, now 36, told FMT. For one, her father, who was running his own logistics business then, was overcome by grief and went bankrupt.
Despite those difficult times, however, Megalah never forgot about her mother’s dream. “I started working when I was 16 and took on any jobs I could to save money for my education,” she said.
She finally obtained her postgraduate degree three years ago.
Megalah’s experience over the years gave her the desire to help the less fortunate in the community. In 2014, she and some friends began helping at various orphanages and old folks’ homes.
“But I always wanted to provide education support for underprivileged children,” she shared.
In 2016, she and her companions decided to purchase school supplies such as uniforms and stationery for students who needed them.
“We raised funds from our network of friends, bought supplies for approximately 20 students, and went to their houses to pass it to them,” she recalled.
That same year, she founded her non-governmental organisation, Spread Love and Charity Team, under whose banner she organised a similar initiative the following year.
Then in 2018, she decided to hold the campaign on a bigger scale. “My friend and I managed to raise RM16,000 by spreading the word around,” she said.
Calling the programme “Back to School”, they were able to help 150 Klang Valley children from various backgrounds – with one key difference this time around. “We brought them to Mydin hypermarket in USJ to shop for their own supplies,” she said with a smile.
“I saw the happiness on their faces when they shopped and I was speechless. It was a priceless feeling.”
The initiative took place again in 2019 – and then, the next year, the world was struck by the pandemic, and a double tragedy occurred in Megalah’s life.
“I lost my job in a palm-oil trading company,” she revealed. And then her younger sister passed away from Covid.
Megalah fell into a depression, but even so, the calls continued from families in need of help. “Instead of focusing on my problems, I decided to help them,” she said.
By posting on social media to ask for provisions and supplies, she and a team of volunteers managed to help 500 families during the various lockdowns, on top of about 1,000 more when floods hit certain parts of the country in late 2021.
Most recently, on Saturday, Spread Love and Charity Team held the third Back to School programme, successfully raising close to RM30,000 to help 300 students.
Megalah, who now works as a wealth adviser, explained that children from various People’s Housing Programme (PPR) developments in the Klang Valley, aged between seven and 16, were invited to the event that was again held at Mydin USJ.
“This was also the first time that Orang Asli and disabled children joined us,” she added.
Festive atmosphere
The atmosphere at Mydin on Saturday was festive. Eager children could be seen shopping for their school supplies – uniforms, shoes, socks, and bags, among others – assisted by a team of volunteers comprising Megalah’s friends as well as students from Sunway University.
Ariff Daniel, 13, said he was excited to shop for uniforms, shoes and, especially, a new school bag.
His mother, Azneena Ariffin, expressed her gratitude for the campaign, saying: “It helps reduce our financial burdens, especially in the current economic condition.”
This sentiment was echoed by Vali Renggaya, a security guard, who told FMT: “I feel relieved as I used to spend RM200 to buy school supplies for my son.”
Ten-year-old Abhinash Meganathan then chimed in, saying he was looking forward to choosing a new school bag in his favourite colour, blue.
And how did Megalah feel seeing the joy and excitement of the children as they went about their shopping spree? “Still priceless,” she replied simply.
Learn more about Spread Love and Charity Team on Facebook and Instagram.