KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — While many are still celebrating Aidilfitri, a group of university students chose to sacrifice their holidays to help victims of last Tuesday’s gas pipeline fire, currently sheltering at the Putra Heights Mosque temporary relief centre in Subang Jaya.
Extending a helping hand as part of the Ihsan Madani squad under the Higher Education Ministry, student volunteers from the Malaysian Universities Volunteer Council have been providing disaster relief since Wednesday, working tirelessly to alleviate the burden on those affected.
The 20-member group is led by Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia student Ridhwan Syahir, 23, who called the experience invaluable.
“By joining this mission, we can put ourselves in their shoes and truly understand their situation — especially during Aidilfitri.
“Today, we contributed physically by assisting and engaging with the victims. This has been a very special experience, especially for first-time volunteers,” he told Bernama.
Ridhwan, a Bachelor of Communication and Media student, said the effort at the PPS has gone smoothly with cooperation from students of other universities, including Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
UUM’s student Muhammad Zahid Ahmad Termizi, 22, said aid provided included food and baby kits for victims.
“We also contributed manpower — helping to distribute supplies and offering support with the help of various other agencies,” he said.
For Ikmal Daniel Ridza Abdu, 21, an accounting student from UUM, taking part in the volunteer mission alongside multiple agencies was deeply meaningful.
“Some of the victims are university students themselves, so I see this as a way for us to give back to them,” he said.
Sharina Erna Suara, 20, also from UUM, said she was thrilled to be able to volunteer for the first time at the PPS.
“I’m happy to give back to the community, even though the incident didn’t happen in my home state of Sabah. We are all part of Malaysia,” said the Bachelor of Linguistics and Business Administration student.
As of now, 382 victims from 99 families are sheltering at the Putra Heights Mosque relief centre.
— Bernama
