The world of Tzu Chi March 2021 (Vol.132)

TZU CHI 132 31 17 years of unceasing love L im Yew Heng (main picture, left) grew up in a single-parent family in Malacca. When he was five years old, his father suddenly abandoned the family and left them many debts. The physical and mental exhaustion on his mother, Onn Mui Ching (main picture, right) eventually made her fall into depression. On top of the government welfare funding and church subsidies, she had to rely on her little savings and sell her gold jewellery to support her family. In desperation, she approached Tzu Chi to seek for help in 2003. Since then, Tzu Chi volunteers have been visiting her family regularly, offering them financial assistance and mental support. Yew Heng and his younger brother have been receiving study grants since primary school from Tzu Chi. This kind gesture has remained Yew Heng’s motivation until to date. YewHeng recalled that he failed many subjects despite studying hard because he had difficulty understanding the lessons. He requested his mother to send him for tuition, but the fees of RM200 was not something his mother could afford. Considerate of the family’s financial conditions, Tzu Chi found a tuition class for him and subsidized the fees. Yew Heng related, “If Tzu Chi was not there to subsidize my education fees at that time, I would not be able to catch up with my primary school studies, much less secondary school. And it would not be possible for me to realize my dream of going to university.” Focused effort free of worries Yew Heng was not offered his preferred choice of admission to a teachers’ training college due to unsatisfactory grades in the SPM (Malaysian Certificate of Education). When he was at a loss about his future, volunteer Ong Siew Cha encouraged him to enrol in Form 6, for that was the only way he could get into a public university. However, the Form 6 syllabus is a rigorous one and would not guarantee university admission upon completion. After thorough consideration, Yew Heng firmly said, “No matter what, I must seize this only opportunity to realize my dream of attending university.” His motivation came from a sense of filial piety and his intention to make his mother proud besides wanting to improve his family’s financial standing. He finally found suitable learning methods and time management. His hard work paid off with excellent grades and an offer of admission to Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in the Report and photograph by Yen Yu Chu Translated by Jilly Bong Lim Yew Heng, a beneficiary of the Tzu Chi study grant since primary school, made his mother proud with his successful enrolment into university. Now a fourth-year student, he is thankful to Tzu Chi for the provision of living allowances alongside education subsidies, and the care provided to his family members.