
“We were disheartened to see the submerged roof and sunken boats when we arrived at the jetty. But we had to work fast in transporting the supplies onto boats because of the long journey ahead,” he said.The families were in poor shape, reaching starvation level as the recent floods had destroyed their natural food source and crops. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown further worsened their condition.

“However, the community’s basic needs such as hunger and malnutrition as well sanitation problems have to be first addressed before we venture further,” she said.The food aid for the community is an initiative by the RYTHM Foundation, called Gift of Life, which supports underfunded government schools, orphanages, and welfare institutions for the disabled and disadvantaged. READ: RYTHM Foundation sponsors schools furniture to improve learning environment for underprivileged children
“We hope this aid would at least temporarily address the health and food needs of the community especially during the double challenges of lockdown and flooding,” Santhi added.Each month, the Foundation identifies a worthy cause, conducts due diligence on it, and recommends it to be a beneficiary of the Gift of Life Programme. The Foundation then further helps with the disbursement of funds and monitors progress of the funded cause. If you are aware of a cause or run an organisation that may benefit from the Gift of Life programme, please email your proposals to [email protected].