Despite being marginalised youths and some from broken homes, the Malaysian boys learned that there were others who were less fortunate than them when they helped with some of the chores at the home which housed 115 orphans and golden citizens.
The visit was jointly organised by the AFC Social Responsibility Department and Malaysian NGO Prostar Club as part of the character building activities in the eight-month Midnight Football programme which aims to guide troubled and unguided youths to becoming useful and excellent citizens.
During the programme, the Midnight Football participants were split into three groups and given a tour of the home before they went to help with the chores.
After lunch, they took part in several telematch games with the kids before going to the stage which they had helped erect to give some musical and cultural performances to entertain the home residents.
One of the Midnight Football participants, Muhd Farhan Radzi told the-afc.com that he appreciated the visit because he learned to help others especially the needy and less privileged and to become a more concerned citizen.
“I feel sad when I look at the place where the kids sleep, which is so basic and now I know I have taken so many things for granted back home,” said the 16-year-old.
Eighteen-year-old Mohd Amirul Hizad, who was waiting for his SPM examination results, did not know that there were people less fortunate than him until he came to the charity home.
“I’ve seen with my own eyes that there are people who are facing more hardship than I. Today, I have learned to give people hope and myself hope. I will ask many of my friends to try to lend a hand to people in need,” he said.
Another participant, Sangar Muniandy, who is between jobs, said he had learned a unique lesson during his interaction and work with the orphans.
“One of the staff members of this home had briefed us on the second-hand or rejected wood which was donated to the home and despite them being of low quality, the small pieces of wood could still be used to lend support to the bigger and stronger pieces of wood to make walls in the hostel’s accommodation facilities.
“The small pieces of wood are just like us humans who are small or broken. We can still be of use to the bigger society if we work on ourselves to be better persons,” he said.