Gopal & Fitri

Changing the world begins at home.

It took me a pandemic to fully realize that while I was busy giving food to refugees in Lebanon/Syria, slumps in Kenya/Tanzania and to the orphans in Panama every birthday, two boys in a forgotten village located 5 minute walk from my Grandma's house, by the name of "Gita Kubo" (Graveyard) sleep hungry most nights.

My sister, Aisha, found them during one Eid celebration during an "Open House" event. In Malaysia, houses open up their gates and feed the village kids and give them money in packets during the festival month after Ramadan. These two were our regulars.

The two boys, Gopal (in black shirt) and Fitri (in blue), are neighbours. Their stories break my heart and remind me everyday how lucky I am to have what I have. Fitri is raised by a single mother and Gopal -nobody even cares if he goes to school or not.

My cousin, Nazreen, has been a hero to deliver food donated directly to their doors, and cared enough to talk to the neighbours, distant family to find out about their schooling conditions.

It costs RM200 (46 USD) per month to feed these two 3 meals per day. That would be the cost of two amazing cakes wasted to buy me a birthday cake / present, and also extra calories - when it could be food for an entire month. So i dedicate my birthday to these two, and even if the goal isn't reached, at least I'd like to tell them that there are people who care about them! <3 Sorry that I cannot do much more, and thank you to everyone who read till here! Love you!