The world of Tzu Chi September 2020 (Vol.126)

2020 • 09 42 ouching Life Story 50,000 Rp (approximately RM15). Even eggs and noodles are a luxury for the locals, who live hand to mouth and constantly struggle to make ends meet. Low income levels and the rising cost of living prompted many of the locals to seek employment abroad. Nursahara followed in the footsteps of her fellow compatriots and left her hometown hoping to earn a decent salary that would enable her to raise her family and save towards the capital for a sundry shop back home. When she turned 26, she mustered her courage and departed for the Arab world to work as a nanny for three years and two months in hope of better prospects. After returning to Indonesia, she travelled to Sarawak at a friend’s recommendation to work as a labourer at a plantation company in Selangau, Bintulu. She met Buyong in Miri and the couple tied the knot in October 2019. FollowingBuyong’s arrest, themovement control order (MCO) was enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19, complicating Nursahara’s plight. She had been getting by with her friend’s help for the past two months, before receiving assistance from Tzu Chi Miri after a friend reported her predicament. She revealed to the volunteers that she submitted the aid application form without any expectations of being granted assistance. “Our encounter was fated. We’re destined to find each other when she was at her lowest. Although she isn’t a Malaysian citizen, we’re obligated to offer assistance to the best of our ability, regardless of nationality or religion,” mused volunteer Chung Ming Mei. When the volunteers first visited Nursahara at her home, she kept her guard up, fearing that the volunteers were sent by the authorities. Nevertheless, her friends reassured her and encouraged her to open up to the volunteers about her dilemma. After receiving relief supplies and financial aid from the volunteers in early May 2020, Nursahara promptly called her parents and informed them of the assistance over the phone to relieve them of their worry. Her family was surprised to know that she had gained a benefactor in a foreign land. She subsequently learnt from online research that Tzu Chi is a Buddhist organization with origins in Taiwan and branches in various countries around the world. Ming Mei empathized with Nursahara’s woes as an expectant mother living away from home. “I’m also a mother, so I understand a pregnant woman’s need for support from her family. When we saw Nursahara breaking down in tears, we decided to arrange for her to return to her home country as soon as possible. Otherwise, more problems will arise if she stays on here, because she not only has to shoulder the burden of high birth delivery costs, she also won’t be able to apply for the necessary identification documents for her child. Furthermore, there’s no one to take care of both mother and child.” Hence, the volunteers enlisted the assistance of a logistics company that plies the route between Miri and Pontianak and settled on a plan to send Nursahara back to her homeland. Yet, her Indonesia-bound journey was riddled with obstacles: she faced an issue with her travel permit, while the fare for the trip was increased to RM950 from the initial RM500 due to complications posed by the MCO travel restrictions. On the afternoon of May 18, 2020, the volunteers converted the transport fare and a portion of the financial aid into the Rupiah currency and delivered the money to Nursahara personally.