Helping a student who lost it all in a flood

On the 18th of August, at around 5.30pm, villagers of a small village in the foot hills of Gunung Jerai in Kedah heard a loud roar. It was the upstream rush of water from a nearby waterfall, caused by the heavy rain over the last few days. The flood destroyed a few homes and destroyed many others. Six villagers perished.

Muhammad Haikal, 13, is a Form 1 student from the nearby Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Yan. The floods severely damaged his house, destroying all his school supplies and everything that the family owned. His father passed away some time ago. He has four siblings, all younger than him. His mother sells home-made virgin coconut oil to earn a living. Haikal's family was struggling to the point that he didn't even have a smartphone to use for his on-line schooling.

Puan Rubiatul, a teacher from his school, alerted us of his plight. YKF already has an existing relationship with the school through an English Language Programme.

His case merited attention and falls in line with the Yayasan's primary objective of helping to provide education for under-privileged school children. We donated enough funds through the school PTA for him to buy all his school books and stationery, school uniforms, other supplies for his hostel stay, and a smart phone complete with data plan for his on-line schooling.