Free toys for young flood victims
A month ago, several Malaysian states were devastated by one of the worst floods in history that caused massive property damage in the country. While residents in flood-affected areas are still recovering from the tragedy, we’ve seen kind-hearted Malaysians coming together to offer a helping hand.
Take, for example, this young man who brought a generator to a neighbourhood in Shah Alam, so flood victims could charge their phones for free. More recently, another Malaysian showed his generosity and thoughtfulness by distributing free toys to young flood victims and visiting each house on his own.
Donating toys to cheer up children
Image credit: Amir Effendi
The story of Amir Effendi Abd Rahim distributing free toys to children in flood-affected areas went viral after his story was reported by Harian Metro on 19th January 2022.
Amir, who is a 44-year-old freelance graphic designer from Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, used to collect and distribute toys to less fortunate children in hopes of cheering them up. He was encouraged to do so again following the flash flood that hit parts of Shah Alam and Hulu Langat in December 2021.
He was concerned with the plight of young flood victims, who may be sad that their favourite and newly bought toys were lost forever in the floodwaters. So, he collected and distributed toys freely to about 40 children in flood-affected areas by visiting each house on his own.
“I did not distribute the toys at the temporary evacuation centre (PPS), except in Nanding, Hulu Langat, but instead I went from house to house to hand over the toys to the children,” Amir was quoted as saying by Harian Metro.
He added that although he did not manage to visit every flood-affected neighbourhood, he was happy to see a smile on the children’s faces when they received toys from him.
‘Toys For A Cause’ campaign
Image credit: Amir Effendi
Amir gained attention online for his charitable acts of collecting and donating toys freely to underprivileged children through a campaign called ‘Toys For A Cause‘.
As a collector himself, he used to own a lot of toys which he would give to his nephews and nieces when they visited him. This inspired him to start distributing free toys in 2019 to bring a smile to many other children in the country.
During the first few months of the campaign, Amir donated toys from his own collection and used his own funds to buy toys to be donated to children. Once he started gaining popularity among the public, he began accepting donations from people and uses them to buy toys for underprivileged children.
Free toys for young flood victims
As flood victims are still findings ways to recover from the tragedy, we are glad to see this Malaysian bringing smiles to the faces of the little ones who have lost all their toys.
May his good works receive more support from fellow Malaysians, so he can continue to bring joy to the lives of underprivileged children.
*Note: The Smart Local Malaysia has reached out to Amir Effendi to seek additional comments about his charitable acts. We will update this article if he gets back to us.
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Cover image adapted from: Amir Effendi