The world of Tzu Chi July-August 2022 (Vol.142)

2022 • 08 40 ouching Life Story some zinc sheets for roof replacement. Ah Heng explained that during high tides, he had to go out to sea to fish in order to earn a livelihood. During low tides, where catches are less, he would then go to the woods nearby with his wife to chop wood and bring them back using a sampan . Following that, they would dismantle the damaged flooring and build the foundation first. For this construction project, volunteer Tsze Hut Sea had travelled from Kota Tinggi to Kampung Sungai Papan for no less than ten times to interact with Ah Heng and understand his preparation progress and tide times, to facilitate mobilization of volunteers for the repair work. He said, “The house is near the coast, and there are high and low tides daily. So, we could only gather volunteers to help with the repair work during low tides.” Coming together for the repair work After Ah Heng built the pile structure for the corridor, Hut Sea led 12 volunteers from Kota Tinggi and Ulu Tiram, to make a one-hour drive to Kampung Sungai Papan on May 29. The volunteers worked hard under the hot glaring sun. Some carried the wood, some sawed planks, while others nailed the planks. Everyone worked together along with Ah Heng and his family. As kempas wood is solid and hard, the nails tended to bend in the nailing process. Everyone felt it was difficult because they could not get the hang of it. Volunteer Er Soon Kiong, who works in the furniture industry, grabbed the opportunity to contribute. He taught everyone a trick—to dip the nails in oil, then they could be nailed down easily. With a hammer, he skilfully nailed the pieces of planks, and never rested even though he was drenched in sweat. He said, “It feels good to be able to help improve the care recipient’s living environment seeing that they are living in such a dilapidated house.” Ulu Tiram volunteer Liew Seng Foo, an air-conditioning mechanic, also joined the volunteers in the house repair. When he saw how difficult life was in this place, he felt that being able to help fix the floating house was something within his reach, and he felt obliged to assist as helping others makes him happy. Since Kampung Sungai Papan is located in a remote area, most of the piling job was still done manually instead of the mechanical way. The volunteers found it very interesting, and they enjoyed stomping hard on the wood together. Everyone was dripping in sweat after three hours of labour, but despite the exhaustion, they felt contented. Ah Heng was very grateful to all the volunteers who helped accomplish this corridor project. He informed Chu Ah Heng’s children had sustained injuries from falls due to the broken flooring.