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Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, most of us followed the idea of #kitajagakita religiously as we were afraid of the harm that the virus could do to our loved ones more than how much it would affect us. For co-founder of Yayasan Chow Kit and child activist, Dr. Hartini Zainudin, it was a different ball game altogether. Despite having an 83-year-old mother at home, she followed the SOPs religiously no matter how tiring it was and pushed herself to attend to the needs of refugee and migrant kids, their family members and other groups of people who had it a lot harder than most of us.
Pushing aside the limitations and struggles that she faced, the only thing that kept Dr. Hartini going was this question: “If I don’t do this, who would?” And while she admits that she has her shortcomings and would like to be more organised, Dr. Hartini is proud of how far she’s gone in the past year and how the baby steps that she’s taken to reach out to those who were in need have paid off.
Moving on to a bigger scale, this year Dr. Hartini is choosing to challenge the belief and policy that we can’t ban child marriages in Malaysia. “We can and we must. We just need to try a little harder and we need to engage with those who are against banning it. Let’s work together by educating and bringing them to the other side so that they will know the importance of saying ‘no’ to child marriages in this country,” she says. Here, the jovial lady tells us more about the work that she’s been doing and the biggest misconception that the public has about her role.
Can you share with us how you’ve been coping with everything in the past year?
“It’s been very busy, dramatic and fulfilling in many ways. We’ve seen a rise in the number of people needing help and services, so this involved a lot of work with children and interactions with their families. I say dramatic because we see so many groups including poor single mothers who’ve lost their jobs and are losing their homes, and at the same time, they all have the obligation to take care of their kids single-handedly. Fulfilling is because you see this beauty expressed by humanity. So many people out there are willing to help those in need and they’ve come together throughout the year.”
What was the goal that you set out to achieve during this period?
“On a normal day, I used to get three cases on average but during the MCO, it escalated to 50. My goal was really to solve them case by case. I wanted to fulfil whatever these families needed – be it funding, talking to the landlords or just making sure that there was food on their tables, day by day. I took little steps and it worked!”
What were some of the challenges that you faced when you were helping people?
“It was the xenophobia, misconceptions and deliberate misinformation about certain marginalised groups in society. For instance, people questioned the need to help refugees and migrant workers. What people need to know is that these people are not here by choice. Responding to the people who ask you so many questions was just very tedious. At the same time, the children from these groups were asking me why people hate them, and if they can have a little more food. It wasn’t about the care packages. Children are children – and they always will be. For instance, that little pack of Twisties that you took for granted will make a difference to them. The hard part was also having to deal with kids who were hurt and who were victims of incest and abuse. They couldn’t express themselves. There were also groups of people who questioned my decisions about the money that they gave. For me, it’s really down to: give only if you really want to give. Malaysians are a very giving and generous society in general but it gets hard when people want to know everything in detail. If a family wants to use that small amount of money to buy their kid a birthday cake, then that’s their business – not mine. Most of my donations come from big groups but I also do have some amazing kids who can only afford to give me RM10 per month (which pays for one person’s meal) as that’s all that they can afford. And guess what? I’m thankful for that RM10 because it means a lot to those who are receiving it.”
Throughout the whole process, what’s the one thing you realised ever since you went all out to help all these families?
“I’ve seen the best in humanity and the worst in people. It is okay to not give anything but just do us a favour and don’t perpetuate misinformation, hate and blame towards others. That’s all we’re asking for.”
What’s the biggest misconception about the work that you do?
“People assume that I do charity. Well, I don’t. Charity is when you give RM1 to a beggar on the street, then you walk away and feel good about yourself, and don’t have to think about that person anymore. I don’t do that. I take things a step further by coming up with a system so that people are not taxed to give and the giving has a long-term impact on the lives of the person or on that family. It isn’t just about giving food but also making sure that they eat and will be able to get their own food and feed themselves in the future.”
Was there a problem you faced that was too big and made you feel extremely overwhelmed?
“Yes, it was during the hype of the MCO last year when 50 families came to me in a day and they were all hungry. These are families with five to six kids – so that’s about 3,000 people in total. I ran out of money and the hardest thing for me was transferring the funds that I received at the last minute to the respective families. Most of them don’t have proper documents, so transferring money wasn’t easy. Out of 40 villagers, only four had bank accounts, so I had to make sure that the money reached the right people. And by the time I reached the 30th family, I was crying because my fingers really hurt. But even then, I couldn’t stop. Because if I do, who’s going to do this? That was the most dramatic incident that I went through.”
When the going gets tough, what keeps you going?
“Cupcakes, chocolates and nasi lemak! For me, it’s that simple: food is the answer and I’ve clearly put on a lot of weight in the past year. But on a serious note, though, the one thing that keeps me going is that I always wonder what’s going to happen if I stop. I’m definitely not religious but I believe that the universe conspires and inspires us to do [good] things. You see, when people ask me for help, I’m obliged to help. If I can’t do it, then I get other people to do it. I can’t say ‘no’ to children and their families. People do tell me to focus but at times like this, it’s pretty hard to focus when there’s so much to do.”
To find out more about Dr. Hartini, click on the video below!
Photography & videography: Tan Guo Xiang
Art Direction: Zariel Zahann
Styling: Rachel Dulis
Coordination: Vasenta Selvanayagam & Yang Mei Ling
Assisted by: Angela De Souza
Makeup & hair: Moon Tio/Makeup Miracle
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