Welcome to MAKNA {A Meaning to Life}

“..Only then did I realize that this was the little girl whom we had come to visit. Like any child her age, she was playful and full of cheer...”

Fatin Azwani bte Abu Zarin
2 years old

It was my first visit to Encik Abu Zarin's house that afternoon.

We had come to see little Fatin, their two and a half year old daughter, a MAKNA bursary recipient. As we stepped into the house, a little girl cheerily invited us in. "That's Fatin," Mama Gie, MAKNA's volunteer coordinator said. Only then did I realize that this was the little girl whom we had come to visit. Like any child her age, she was playful and full of cheer. At first glance, her face looked normal but close-up her left eye was different. Little Fatin was suffering from Retinablastoma, a form of cancer that had been affecting her left eye since she was a baby. She had undergone an operation to replace it with an artificial retina.

Fatin lives with her parents and three other siblings in a two bedroom-flat with a minimum rent from Dewan Bandaraya. One sad thing we learned about Fatin's parents is that her father is blind. He earns a living by selling tissues and sometimes as a musician when there is a request for his music. Her mother, Yuroslaini, is also not medically fit after an operation in her ear had left her right leg slightly limp. She often suffers from severe migraines which leave her helpless. The family lives on Abu Zarin's meagre income of less than RM500 per month. They also receive some contribution from The Welfare Ministry. Despite this the family finds it hard to make ends meet, especially when Fatin needs to get regular treatment at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia from time to time. To ease the burden, MAKNA gives the family a small contribution of about RM150 per month. We are also currently helping the family be financially independent through our micro credit scheme. We have yet to identify the type of business the family can start, but most probably it will involve food. We also need to solve Fatin's mother's difficulty in walking by getting her a pair of specially ordered shoes so that she can walk and move at ease.

written by Faridah Sheikh Hussein, 2006