We often overlook things we think we understand. I'm here with a story of my own, which I invite you to read.
My Story
I've recently started to volunteer at Cat Beach Sanctuary Penang under the RASMA program. Funnily enough, I did not even know of Cat Beach before my volunteering period, albeit the site having a feature on some local TV channels. I've settled in quickly for voluntary work and caught on with my fellow Malaysians wanting to also make an impact. As each day goes by, I learnt about Cat Beach more and more, and my sympathy for the cats grew. Little did I know, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
I have been granted a fortunate opportunity to have a personal talk with Ms Teviot, a woman who gives selflessly to Cat Beach. In that conversation, I felt like getting hit by a bat in my head, as I was dumbstruck listening to part of Cat Beach's history and work. For years, there's a group of people just dedicating themselves to the community cats, going all out to the point where they will use their personal savings without a second thought. The trouble that they go through is incomprehensible to most: Cats have to be protected from their variant of pandemics like the one we're experiencing; the bills from the cat food and vet trips only add on to the pressure. Even after ALL that, Cat Beach will still try its best to give volunteers the best experience for all their troubles. It isn't people doing God's work, I really don't know what is.
During these difficult times, everyone will be on the lookout for themselves, naturally. Although there's no wrong in that, I can't help but wonder: "How many of us will truly understand the situations of the less fortunate, who still keep on giving?" I'm sure all of you can say you know about the stray animal shelters in your community, but have you ever thought through so much, put yourself in their shoes, to say you understand?
My name is Zheng Hao, a 17 yo trying to contribute to the cause. As Cat Beach is a sanctuary for cats in desperate conditions, they need more funds really, compared to the average shelter. I plead you to lend us a helping hand to get us all through this together. Every cent(sen) will count!