Malaysia Healthcare Chronicles
A Hundred Unsung Heroes: Zaiti Zubir – Senior Manager Institut Onn Ja’afar
I am a single mother with one child – a daughter who turns 14 this year.
When news of the pandemic and ensuing Movement Control Order (MCO) reached me, I was in Penang for the holidays. I immediately rushed back to Penang leaving my only daughter with my parents. As a social worker, I knew that my work would involve a lot of interaction with people and I couldn’t risk exposing my family to the virus.
Coming from a media background where I was often exposed to different people coming from diverse backgrounds, I found my calling in social work. Helping others is its own special kind of joy. At Institut Onn Ja’afar, I lead a team of volunteers to perform programs which help the underprivileged and needy. More than 90% of our volunteers are university students which I find wonderful since it instills a sense of empathy within them which is as important as one’s academic qualification.
However our focus and roles changed completely during the pandemic. We created work programmes and help kits that were centred mainly around the homeless community. I was astounded at the sheer volume of homeless individuals in Kuala Lumpur and this motivated me further to help those in need. Everyday we would brainstorm how we can make sure that this community of underprivileged people has access to basic items like hot meals, face masks, and sanitisers. Many times we would personally go on the streets to make those deliveries, while adhering to strict protocols. While the work was challenging and straining, being able to help this section of society brought me great satisfaction.
However, the biggest challenge for me was being apart from my daughter. I had to divide my time between my family and the community. Even prior to COVID-19, people often told me that I help others more than my own daughter and this sentiment was further exacerbated during the pandemic.
I can only hope that my daughter understands why I am doing this and how important it is to help others. I need to set a good example for her, even if it means spending some time apart. I have always taught her that helping others is virtuous and I hope when she looks at her mother’s work, she sees it as a source of inspiration and motivation.
