The family’s squalid living conditions prompted Mohd Fadli to offer a helping hand. — Pix courtesy of Facebook/Mohd Fadli Salleh

PETALING JAYA, Jan 20 — A poor family living in horrid conditions received a surprise just in time for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Help arrived for the family who was living in a squalid People’s Housing Project (PPR) when Facebook user Mohd Fadli Salleh enlisted the help of a team of volunteers to give their home a massive cleanup and makeover. Volunteers from Dana Kita helped with the major cleaning operation that took two weeks.

It all began when Mohd Fadli received a phone call from a certain Kak Yati, who lives in the same building as the family.

According to Yati, the family had been using her bathroom every day before sending off their kids to school.

During his free time, Mohd Fadli visited the flat where he made a shocking discovery.

“Their house was like a sinking ship. In fact, a sinking ship looked better.

“Their dad can’t do heavy work, he has chronic illnesses and only the wife works as a cleaner in a hotel in Ampang,” wrote Mohd Fadli in his post yesterday.

Despite the language barrier, the helpful Malaysian found out the water supply was cut off as a result of not being able to afford to pay rent. A Dana Kita volunteer paints the walls of the flat.

It was so bad to the point the bills were in the thousands and the family were slapped with an eviction notice.

But their destitute state didn’t prevent the couple from prioritising their children’s education.

Mohd Fadli said the kids were at a free tuition class sponsored by the residents’ association when he popped by.

“After chatting to them, I decided to help this family with the aim of removing their trash and restoring their water supply at the very least,” he said.

With the help of Kak Yati, they managed to negotiate with the flat’s management who agreed to restore their water supply if they pay double rent.

With the help of guerrilla cleaning volunteers from Dana Kita, a non-profit organisation that channels excess funds from Islamic institutions to the needy, it took them two weeks to clean up the flat.

Three lorries were required to dispose of the family’s waste.

Along with clean water supply and a rubbish-free house, the team gave the family’s flat a fresh lick of paint, new curtains, rugs and brand-new pillows and mattresses. The family now gets to enjoy this clutter-free space when they usher in the Lunar New Year.

“In conjunction with Chinese New Year, this family gets to celebrate with a very different cheer, something they haven’t had for years. Which for years, no one cared,” he wrote.

“Doesn’t matter what their religion is or what race they are. They were living in hardship, they were stuck and they needed help.”

Mohd Fadli also pledged that Dana Kita would help anyone regardless of race and religion, and wished the man he helped Happy Chinese New Year.