WOULD
YOU
RISK
YOUR
LIFE
FOR THE
SAKE
OF THIS
BABY?
There are only a handful of Malaysians who
dare risk their lives for the sake of others.
Here, three of our country’s women tell you
how risking their lives for people in need
changed them.
TEXT SHANTI GANESAN
Imagine having dinner at home with the horrifying sound
of bombings and shootings not so far away filling the
room. How about getting caught in the line of fire when
you least expect it? Or falling victim to natural disasters
and losing everything instantaneously in a gush of water?
A deep sense of sorrow overtakes the atmosphere in
these places. Thank God there are those who see their
pain, hear their screams and feel their fear.
We talk to 3 Malaysian women who have dared to venture into
some of the most dangerous places to live in the world, hoping to
make a difference in the lives of people in these conflict or disaster-stricken
countries.
ELLIANE ARIANY MUSTAPHA
"The camp was congested as 300,000 people lived in one camp.
There were two families living in a tent, sometimes there were 15
people living under one tent,” Elliane Ariany Mustapha reveals
about a Mercy Malaysia mission to Sri Lanka before the end of
the conflict between the Liberation Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE)
and the Sri Lankan government.
The 25-year-old has put aside her social and dating life
because of the work she does. Yet her passion drives her to
continue her work with Mercy Malaysia. Always wanting to push
herself to do what’s worthwhile, she travels the world to help the
less fortunate. Her stories certainly go beyond having a rough day
at the office.
MARLENE LEE
“In Padang, one of the places we worked in was situated at the
side of a mountain. The terrain was hilly with steep valleys and
winding dirt roads. In that area, several villages were swept
downhill by landslides triggered by the earthquake,” Marlene
Lee recalls. “The road leading to the top of the hill was totally
destroyed in several places. The Indonesian army had to install
two helicopter pads at the midpoint and the top of the hill to fly in assistance to the communities.
”Marlene’s organisation, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), was
in Padang to provide emergency aid following the 7.6 earthquake
that struck Western Sumatra on 30th September 2009.
DR. AZLINA AMIR ABBAS
Dr. Azlina Amir Abbas is a great example of these brave, unsung
heroines. “I was part of Mercy Malaysia’s team which was
assigned to Gaza, Palestine in January 2009. We were there for
2 weeks to provide humanitarian and medical aid, delivering
medical equipment such as surgical instruments, implants, and
medication to hospitals in Gaza,” she says. The medical doctor treated patients and assisted the local medical staff in their day to
day duties in the hospital. She also took the opportunity to seek
out other areas where assistance was needed, such as rebuilding
health facilities and providing training for the local doctors. |
