Ishak Abd Kadir, president and founder of Insaf Malaysia, an NGO specialising in relief efforts

       I remember vividly the humanitarian mission to Acheh, Indonesia, that I joined in 2005 to help the victims of a tsunami that claimed more than 270,000 lives.

       That experience inspired me to form my own organisation to provide relief to those who are less fortunate.

       The year 2011 saw the birth of Insaf Malaysia as an NGO that focused on helping people locally and abroad.

       During my missions overseas, I observed that there were various kinds of NGOs at disaster sites.

       Some provided medical supplies and food, some built shelters and others set up pipes to supply water to the victims.

       All of these efforts were crucial to rebuild the local community and get them back on their feet.

       In my opinion, a relief effort must focus on four key criteria, namely medical supplies, food, shelter and access to clean water.

       Our “Tampal Rumah” programme, which builds homes for the Orang Asli community, is based on this principle.

       We ensure that every family we help has a home to live in equipped with a solar panel for electricity and a toilet.

       The idea for this programme came about when I was volunteering in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, where I met students from the Gadjah Mada University who were organising a similar programme.

       Along with recruit volunteers from the private sector, including Star Foundation, we have built some 300 homes so far.

       Insaf Malaysia provides free ambulance pick-up for needy families. Its president and founder Ishak Abdul Kadir (right) says the organisation hires medical graduates to monitor patients during transport. Photo in 2018 shows Insaf with medical assistant Muhammad Zulfakar Shahrul Rizal.

       This programme has continued during the pandemic, but without the volunteers as we have to comply with the movement restrictions.

       We have also taken a particular interest in the development of children, especially those from the B40 group.

       I remember meeting a teacher at a primary school in Hulu Kelang, during which she told me about a misbehaving student.

       When I met the student, he told me that he had trouble seeing in class but his parents could not afford to buy him a pair of glasses.

       That led to the start of our eye screening programme, where we sent opticians to schools and sponsored the cost of glasses.

       We also offer free ambulance pick-up for families who need help transporting their loved ones to treatment facilities.

       We recently ferried a patient from Mersing, Johor, to Klang Hospital in Selangor and back.

       The cost of an ambulance pick-up can easily go up to RM400, and many families cannot afford that.

       We hire medical graduates who are waiting for their housemanship placement at a government hospital to monitor the patients during transport.

       This not only offers the graduates a chance to do good, but also gives them an opportunity to hone their skills.

       For the past decade, our work has focused mostly on the central region, although we do occasionally venture to other places.

       We are planning to set up a branch in the northern region to assist communities in Penang, Kedah and Perlis.

       Insaf Malaysia is also looking to set up a branch in Johor for communities in the southern region.

       Earlier this year, we helped Malaysians who had returned from Singapore but were stranded in Johor after running out of cash.

       There are many people in need across the country and we will do our best to come to their aid.

       If all goes well, we might also set up a branch in the east coast as well as Sabah and Sarawak.