Sunday, September 12, 2010

WMD Visits Madam Rokiah Bte Atnen

From left: Donor Anisah, Carol, Madam Rokiah with Khairul, and myself.
Dear Friends

Last Wednesday, Carol Loi, the volunteer manager for our fundraiser for Madam Rokiah, gathered a bunch of us together to visit Madam Rokiah.

With us was Anisah, one of our kind donors. Carol also brought her two daughters — the woman is a supermom and more!

Our call for 30 donors, each donating $30, fell short of 9, but there have been quite a few individuals who are pledging their donations now. We hope to reach 30 by the end of September.

We printed and presented Mdm Rokiah with the list of donors, who have each committed $30 every month for a period of 2 years.

Mdm Rokiah didn't speak any English, but she understood some of what we were talking about. Her younger brother Hirman had been in touch with Carol these past weeks, and was present to talk to us and translate for us.

When we arrived at Mdm Rokiah's three room flat, she was preparing to help her second son with his kidney dialysis. Her youngest boy, Khairul, was also present. Her kitchen was filled with goods from other kind donors — rice, cereal, drinks. "We have so much, we have to share them with others, because there is an expiry date on these items," said Hirman.

Seeing that made me glad we had decided to raise cash for Mdm Rokiah and her family, because likely it was what she needed more.

Hirman told us about the children. Each of Mdm Rokiah's four boys were born normal, but began to show symptoms of disability or developmental problems around the age of 8 or 9. Her eldest son was admitted to IMH but did not show signs of improvement, and so the family has brought him back home to care for him. Her second son requires 10 hours of dialysis every day, during which he cannot move. Her third son is in a special school, and little Khairul has just gone through tests for his IQ. It breaks my heart (and everyone's in the room, I am sure) to hear this.

"People ask 'Why are all the children like this?'" shares Hirman. "We don't think that way. They are our family, we look after them."

Mdm Rokiah's family network is probably her pillar. She has four siblings, and there are always family members in the house, helping her with the children, and taking care of visitors like us. Hirman says that the family gets visitors nearly every day, since the newspaper reports.

It draws near to 8pm when her son's dialysis must begin. Before we leave, Mdm Rokiah invites us to take a peek in her sons' room. Khairul keeps his brother company next to the dialysis machine. The room is small, but neat and clean. I sense despite it all, Mdm Rokiah is proud of her children. It takes great courage for a person as young as her boy — he is only 18 — to go through daily dialysis.

Aminah pulls out a gift she has for Khairul, and she and Mdm Rokiah chat. It is the first time all evening I see Mdm Rokiah smile.

As we leave and go our separate ways, I'm determined not to "feel sorry" for Mdm Rokiah. She is doing her very best to cope with her situation. Loneliness in caring for her four boys without a husband must be the greatest pain she has to bear, but looking at her face, she seems to have a deep peace about her life which I admire greatly.

Certainly we must continue — as individuals or organisations — to support heroes like Mdm Rokiah, who have battled fate's cruel hand and remain steadfast, braving each new day.

Do continue to help us pass on the word. Who knows what life will bring for Mdm Rokiah and her sons the next few years — all I know is that having $600, or $900, or more appear in the bank every month can help put her mind at ease.

You can still donate monthly to Mdm Rokiah. Please contact Carol Loi at carol.loi.puiwan@gmail.com or me at threezframe2@gmail.com for further details.

Theresa Tan
Co-founder, Women Make a Difference

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Help Mdm Rokiah: Give $1 A Day For 2 Years























Dear Friends of WMD

I'm sure you have heard about Madam Rokiah, the 47-year-old widow of Mr Ahmad Lispa. Mr Ahmad was killed on 17 July when a crane smashed into the upper deck of the bus he was in.

Mr Ahmad is survived by his wife Madam Rokiah, who suffers from kidney failure, and their four sons, all of whom have health issues. Their eldest son is a patient at IMH. Their second son is in a special needs school. Their third son has kidney failure like his mother, and their youngest is being tested for IQ and kidney problems.

Mr Ahmad did not have a regular paycheck — his last pay as a part time cleaner was $300.

Madam Rokiah and the boys are supported in kind by the CDC and National Kidney Foundation, and have their medical and transport needs met. But now with Mr Ahmad gone, they do not have any means of financial support.

Her story has touched many Singaporeans, and it was reported that $20,000 in cash has been raised for this family, apart from many food items that have been donated to them.

WMD's mission is to help women and children who cannot help themselves, and Madam Rokiah and her boys are exactly that.

We feel that although Madam Rokiah has a lump sum now, that amount will be used up eventually, and she will still need financial support on a monthly basis.

We are therefore kickstarting a campaign to get as many people as possible to commit to supporting Madam Rokiah for 24 months with a monthly sum.

You can donate $30, $50 or $100 on a monthly basis to Madam Rokiah, direct to her account. WMD hopes that you will pledge to create a standing instruction with your bank to credit her DBS Account with this sum every month.

WMD will not be processing any donations through our account, so your donation directly reaches Madam Rokiah and her sons.

We hope to find at least 30 people to pledge 2 years of support for her.


What WMD will do is:

1. Record the names, mobile numbers and emails of those who have pledged. We will present this list to Madam Rokiah so that she knows that at least 30 people in Singapore think of her every month and will actively help her.

2. The WMD administrator of this campaign, Carol Loi, will send an email reminder every month to you regarding your pledge and to let you know how many months you have helped Madam Rokiah.

3. We will work to provide you updates on Madam Rokiah and her family every quarter or half a year, so you know what is going on in their lives and how you have become an important part of their daily existence.


Your commitment* will be:

• $30 x 24 months: $720
• $50 x 24 month: $1200
• $100 x 24 months: $2400

You are most welcome to give more than our suggested amounts, and for longer than 2 years. We hope to keep growing this campaign with new donors so that we can continue to provide financial aid to Madam Rokiah as her children grow up.

If we get 30 people donating $30 monthly, Madam Rokiah will receive $900 in her account every month for her and her children's daily needs for 2 years.


How to proceed:

1. Reply to Carol Loi and myself (Carol's email is carol.loi.puiwan@gmail.com) if you are interested
2. State the amount you are able to commit ($30, $50 or $100 or more) for two years. This counts as your pledge.
3. Include your full name, mobile number, email address.
4. Pass this email on to people whom you think may be keen to support this.


Once your pledge has been received, Carol will send you an email to explain how to activate standing instructions from your DBS account so that your bank automatically transfers your pledge monthly amount to Madam Rokiah's DBS account for a period of 2 years.

If you do not have a DBS account, please let us know. Different banks have different methods to allow for standing instructions. Some may require you to fill in a form at the bank.


WMD hopes to activate the donations by 15 August, and to present our donors list to Madam Rokiah by then.

I hope you will help WMD to help Madam Rokiah. $30 may not be a huge sum, but if we each give, it becomes an amount that can change her life and the lives of her children.


Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions or concerns.

*As WMD is not a registered charity but a Non-Profit Organisation, donors will not receive tax deduction on their donations to Madam Rokiah.


Many thanks, and may your good deed beget more good deeds!







Theresa Tan
Co-founder
Women Make a Difference