Retired Editor Gives 5 Stateless Children New Hope
Sheila Rahman Natarajan wins the NPC-MACROKIOSK Muhibbah Award.
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Sheila Rahman Natarajan, a retired editor of Sunday Mail, has been named the October winner of the National Press Club-MACROKIOSK Muhibbah Award for her exceptional dedication to the welfare of five stateless children for the past six years.
With the support of friendly neighbours, Sheila has been like a “fairy Godmother” to the five, then aged four to 11, and her home has been their refuge, school and sanctuary for all their emotional and physical needs.
Her long journey has won the vote of media editors who sat as judges for the award for October.
The National Press Club of Malaysia (NPC), together with enterprise solutions platform provider MACROKIOSK, launched the monthly award series in April to recognise any individual, group or organisation that best exemplifies the true spirit of Muhibbah in Malaysia.
NPC deputy president Haresh Deol, in presenting the award, said it was indeed meaningful that this award series, created to reward people who propagated the spirit of Muhibbah, has now concluded with the final winner being a retired member of the media fraternity.
“Sheila’s efforts have not only ensured the children had a real chance at life but also ensured the five siblings lived together with their single-parent father.
“We hope that more attention will now be focussed on the plight of stateless individuals, especially children so that their basic needs, including education and health, are looked into.
“While this is the final instalment to the NPC-MACROKIOSK series, I truly hope this will get the ball rolling in honouring Malaysians who continue to help those in need,” added Haresh.
Chief Executive Officer of MACROKIOSK, Dato’ Kenny Goh, in congratulating Sheila, described her outreach to the five children as “an extraordinary act of compassion” that continued for over six years.
“Her selfless acts of kindness exemplify the Muhibbah spirit that we, as Malaysians, hold dear. Her unwavering commitment to uplifting the lives of these Stateless children is truly commendable,” he said.
Sheila recounted that she first noticed the children roaming aimlessly each day in her neighbourhood back in early 2017.
“Left without their mother’s care and with their father struggling to make ends meet, they were confined to a single room that served as their makeshift kitchen, dining area, and bedroom, and they were usually silent which was not a good sign,” she said.
Moved by their plight, Sheila and her husband Abdul Rahman bin Hj Ishak stepped up to help. They gained the father’s cooperation and consent to have the children come under their watchful eyes while he worked. So, they provided them with a nurturing environment and a sense of belonging.
The Rahman family, and their family home “Pondok”, warmly took in these five children providing food, shelter, and, most importantly, access to education. Her intervention has transformed the lives of these children, ensuring they receive the education they rightfully deserve.
“It takes Muhibbah to raise stateless children,’ quipped Sheila, emphasising the importance of unity and compassion in the mission to uplift the lives of the Stateless children.
Coincidently, all five children are now enrolled in Dignity Foundation School, an organisation previously honoured with the NPC-MACROKIOSK Muhibbah Awards in June 2023. Despite being older than their peers, all five children bravely coped well with their new educational journey.
The journey to document the children’s status and secure their rightful place in society was another formidable challenge that Sheila undertook. Starting in 2018, they made countless visits to the Welfare Department and the National Registration Department.
Their efforts led to mandatory court-sanctioned guardianship in 2019. This was followed by securing late-registered ‘Bukan Warganegara’ (Non-Citizen) birth certificates for these children in 2021. Finally, after a thorough assessment by the Welfare Department, they achieved legal adoption in 2022 by their father, a prerequisite for citizenship applications.
The citizenship applications for these five Stateless children were submitted in July 2022, marking a significant step towards granting them their rightful place as citizens of Malaysia.
Recognising her altruistic efforts, the Rotary Club of Ara Damansara (RCAD) and private neighbourhood groups have rallied together to help defray some of her ongoing recurring costs. After all, she is doing this on her own and whatever extra expenses are borne by her.
Today, these five children, aged between 11 and 18 years, have blossomed, shedding most of their initial insecurities. They have discovered a whole new world beyond their neighbourhood, thanks to the guidance and support they have received.
The eldest two teenagers, an 18-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, now live with the Rahmans, each having their own private space where they can grow and communicate freely.
The NPC-MACROKIOSK Muhibbah Award carries a cash prize of RM2,000, a certificate and vouchers from top regional lifestyle tea brand Tealive, leading lifestyle fresh market brand Jaya Grocer and top natural yoghurt brand llaollao.
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