- Wartawan Nabalu News
LOCAL RESIDENT SETS UP CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN TO RESTORE DILAPIDATED SURAU
24 Feb 2021
By Ilona Andrew
BELURAN: A local resident has initiated a crowdfunding campaign to restore a dilapidated surau at Beluran Hospital as a way to thank the hospital frontliners who have been working hard throughout the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic.
Lina Ramsah, through Beluran Hope – a non-governmental organisation (NGO) founded by herself – aims to raise RM45,000 to repair the old building so that the health staff there can perform their prayer routine comfortably.
“The surau is actually an old building. I think it has been there since the 80s. I was told by a carpenter that only 30 per cent of the building material is in good condition while the rest is in a state of severe disrepair.
“The roof is leaked, and some part of the ceiling is missing. The wall can be punctured just by poking it with a finger,” she explained when contacted by Nabalu News.
According to the 40-year-old housewife, the surau is also frequented by some locals to perform funeral prayers, especially those who live far from the area.
She then met up with a carpenter to ask how much is needed for the repair, only to be astonished to find out that the cost of restoration could reach RM45,000.
To achieve the goal, she actively posted about the campaign on her Twitter to reach more people in hope to be able to raise the fund.
As of Feb 24, Lina managed to collect a total of RM9,138 – 20 per cent of the total needed – from the crowdfunding campaign which she set up via the Kitafund platform last Friday.
“I decided to use the Kitafund platform since RM45,000 is a very big amount for me to collect… I’m still far from my target amount, but I hope the amount can be achieved as soon as possible so I can start the project immediately,” said the founder.
Besides to build a safe and comfortable surau for the fellow health staff of Beluran Hospital, Lina also revealed another reason behind her eagerness to help restore the surau – she knows working in a medical environment is very challenging since she has worked closely with the hospital on a project before.
“I’ve worked closely with the hospital since last year where my team and I built several isolation wards intended for Covid-19 quarantine houses for hospital staffers.
“There were a few times that I passed by this old surau, and the building doesn’t look safe at all. Then I learned that hospital staff and doctors still use this surau, because this is the only closest place to pray even when they’re on standby at the hospital,” she stated.
“Our frontliners have been working very hard since last year for us and this is something that I want to do to thank them.
“Even though I could not build them a beautiful Surau since it cost a lot, at least I can build them a safe one for them to pray,” said the good Samaritan.
Members of the public who wish to donate can do so by accessing the link https://kitafund.com/8648-pembaikan-dan-membina-semula-surau-hospital-beluran.
