Hamira Izzatie Sabarin, the co-founder of an NGO, WeListenMY, received a complaint from the head of a PPR who told her that a large number of residents there had lost their source of income since the movement control order 3.0.

“The head of the PPR in KL told us that of the 1,800 residents, almost 1,000 families had lost their sources of income.

“Everyone’s daily salary is on hold at the moment. They have no money, no food … How do they survive?” she asked in a viral post on Twitter.

When contacted by FMT, Hamira said that apart from the need for funds, it was also important to ensure that no families were left hungry or under stress.

“We do not have enough funds to help everyone, but as long as we can, we will help. This is one PPR. What about the many others that we have?” she asked.

Hamira added that apart from NGOs, nearby communities need to be more sensitive as to what is happening around them to prevent any unwanted incidents such as suicides due to stress.

“All NGOs must unite to help as much as we can. We all have a role to play. We have to make sure no friends or neighbours will choose the easy way out (suicide),” she said.

Hamira hoped that the government would also expedite financial assistance if they did not want the people’s situation to worsen.

According to a report titled “Families on the Edge” released by Unicef Malaysia, the household poverty rate in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur increased by three percentage points from 42% in December 2020 to 45% in March.

The situation is worse for households headed by women and people with disabilities. The poverty rate in this group is at 62% and 55% respectively.

A household is considered to be in the poor category when the household’s monthly income is below the poverty income line, which is RM2,216 per month.