When young Romzi joined the voluntary mission in Balik Pulau, Penang after the tsunami in 2004, his mentor told him to go home because he was too devastated and could not focus on helping others. He felt like he was not ready to volunteer. Romzi had become too attached to the victims; though personal touch is important, being too invested in another’s situation may derail a mass volunteering effort.
His late mentor sent Romzi home with a copy of “Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns” and told him to pay attention to the ending of the movie. He watched the movie and true to his mentor’s words, inspiration surged in him. The ending was a scene where the antagonist asked the hero Ash Ketchum why he was helping him, to which Ash responded, “Do you always need a reason to help someone?” Those words ignited a spark in Romzi, who told his mentor that he was ready to try volunteering again.
Equipped with renewed strength, Romzi started to help more people. One day, as he was helping out at a free market – where everything is given out for free, he saw a pitiful lady standing alone and empty-handed. When asked why she was waiting around, she said her name was not called out. Romzi then decided that there should be a special section of the free market for those who really need the items. Together with NGO AMAL, they obtained information from Baitulmal to identify areas that need help based on RM250 per-capita data. A free market was then held in a school where the regular approach of choosing items remained for the public, but this time, 200 packs were prepared and kept aside for those truly in need. Romzi observed that low-income earners would often show up late as they had transportation issues, while those who need them less arrived earlier in their vehicles. This approach of putting aside items helped to address this problem. Collaborations were also done with other agencies to provide free services such as healthcare, consultations, skincare classes, and many more.
Romzi said that winning IMSHA made him realise the vast support network available. Not everyone is comfortable telling him their problems, so he seeks the help of other NGOs in the IMSHA Winners Network to reach out to more people in need. Romzi also makes sure his own children care for others. On the surface, it might look like everybody is happy, but he reminds his children that things may not be the way it is.
“We don’t need a reason to help,” Romzi reminds everyone.
