Our Monthly Distribution Stories
During our August Monthly Distribution, we saw a number of younger volunteers coming along with us - we even had one of our youngest volunteers tagging along for the distribution!
First-time volunteer Ihsan, 36, brought along his young boy, Iman, 6, when he volunteered as a driver for Global Ehsan Relief Singapore’s distribution.
“It’s an opportunity for me to help my son understand the living conditions in Singapore as well as how some of our fellow citizens are not as well off as compared to us. We must be thankful and we try to help everyone, especially those in need,” Ihsan shares.
Little Iman even brought along a bottle of snacks, sweets and biscuits to pass to the beneficiaries during the distribution. Ihsan expressed how with this being his first volunteering experience with GER, it had been beyond his expectations.
“For me, I expected to just distribute the items, without any mingling with the beneficiaries. But then, they were very welcoming towards us coming into their house which is such a pleasant surprise because for us we don’t really open our doors to strangers but for them, they really welcome us.”
Nasrullah Jufri, 26, Ihsan’s cousin and a fellow volunteer expressed the same sentiments: “Their willingness to open up and talk to us and share their daily routines or how their lives are different from ours, I think it’s like we have our own troubles and difficulties but when we see them and their condition, we learn to appreciate our lives more and to appreciate them as well, to see how they are still going strong for their families. We see them being strong and showing a good front for their children.”
We also had other youth volunteers joining us for the distribution!
Dhania, our regular volunteer, brought along Na’im, for his second distribution with GER. They’ve decided to join this month's distribution as both had free time today and find this as an opportunity to give back to the community.
“The most impactful story we heard today was from one of the orphaned families. No one is working and they’re depending on financial support to survive. This is a reminder that we have to be thankful for what we already have and we shouldn’t compare our life with others.”
"Volunteering brings joy to their lives, as it does to us. We will continue to support the other GERSG projects," Dhania shared.
On the other hand, Sithika, who has known Global Ehsan Relief for a number of years now expressed how impressed she is, seeing the youth volunteers as well as our staff members being passionate about changing the lives of others.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to meet the staff members, who are all serving the community with faith at such a young age,” Sithika told us.
Sithika left us a reminder for us all: “I volunteer with the intention of pleasing Allah S.W.T. and reaping rewards for the Hereafter. To have a vehicle and be able to drive, it's a blessing in and of themselves. I’m grateful to be able to use these for good.”
For Ihsan, his first volunteering experience is his stepping stone to further volunteer with GER.
“All of the projects that we helped today left a big impact on me because they are in different stages of their lives and also at this point in their lives, they need the community to help them. So for us as the community, we try our very best to help in whatever way we can. In the future, we will gladly help out again. I will try to get more family members to help with your initiatives.”
If you happen to own a vehicle, come volunteer with us during our monthly distribution happening once every month! You'll be on the ground with our team getting first-hand experience of what it's like interacting with the beneficiaries of our core projects. Join us in making an impact to the lives of needy families and join our GER community today.