KUCHING: This year’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri was a delight to many children, and Raziman Anggas is a witness to this as he is the acting chairperson of Rumah Jagaan Nur Murni.
Rumah Jagaan Nur Murni recently relocated to Taman Matahir/Hussein, Petra Jaya and houses 44 orphaned girls between 5 and 12 years old.
A centre for boys is at Kampung Gita and there is a kindergarten in Matang.
According to Raziman, on transitioning into the endemic phase of the pandemic, it has made the centre feel more “open”, in that visitors and contributors could come and visit anytime.
“Previously, when Covid-19 struck our country, we felt so confined and the celebration wasn’t as lively as before.
“But now, we have received a lot of contributions from contributors and we are so happy to be able to celebrate with fewer restrictions,” he said.
Throughout the month of Ramadan, besides the usual classes at the centre, the children were also invited by the contributors to break the fast at local hotels.
“Otherwise, the contributors would visit the children and give donations of food, money, clothes and others,” he said.
The 44 girls were brought shopping to Mydin with the contributors to buy ‘baju raya’ and each of them received two to three pairs of brand new clothes and ‘tudung’.
“Some contributors even came to the centre to take measurements used to make ‘baju raya’ for them,” Raziman said.
He further stated that all the uztaz and ustazah in the centre did their best to be better parent figures to the children.
“We care so much about their welfare and try to do our best to not make them feel lonely and left out to create a homely and family-like environment for them.
“Say, if there are any misunderstanding that occur among the girls, we intervene and solve the problem by making them own up to their own mistakes and apologise to one another. We want them to have a strong bond with one another.
“We are also looking at all aspects of their welfare – in terms of prayers and daily needs, all are well-prepared because we do not want them to feel like they are lacking in any way compared to other children,” he said.
Raziman also said the children’s usual routines include attending classes, either physically or online until the afternoon and then on with outdoor activities during the evening.
“Nur Murni is registered under the Islamic Department (JAIS) and operates like any other normal school. Besides the usual subjects and religious-based studies, we also encouraged them to do activities which make them more independent such as cooking and doing house chores.
“We do not want to spoon-feed them all the time just because they are accustomed to receiving donations,” he said.
For classes, Raziman said they have contacts with several other organisations or Raziman himself would teach them.
“There are also other ustazah we sourced from outside. We conducted the classes via Skype but we are also on the ground to guide them during classes,” he said.
He also mentioned that there are efforts to find a proper facility for Rumah Jagaan Nur Murni.
“If any kind contributors want to give land waqf, they are very much welcomed. We hope to realize the Nur Murni education complex that can accommodate in terms of hostel and classrooms for them,” he said.
