KUALA LUMPUR: Vulnerable and dependent, that is how residents at Rumah Perlindungan Darul Ukhwah Muslim in Puchong are best described.
Their situation worsened as the country entered the second phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO), which is expected to end on April 14.
Rumah Perlindungan Darul Ukhwah Muslim houses 45 HIV-positive patients and seven in-house staff.
The shelter is running low on supplies like adult diapers, milk powder and Vitamin C.
Still, founder Muhammad Abdullah Al-Amin, also known as Ustaz Amin, continued to carry out his responsibility to ensure the home’s residents were cared for.
Muhammad went out daily to buy food supplies and basic essentials for the shelter.
He said a permission letter from the Welfare Department allowed him to run errands for the shelter.
“Right now, we have enough food stock, but the shelter is short on medical essentials. We care for 15 bed-ridden patients who need extra medical attention.”
He said some goods were hard to get these days and the price for a few items had risen due to high demand.
He said it was costly to sustain the shelter, especially in this difficult time, but the residents deserved to have a home to shelter and protect them.
“We teach them about Islam. We usually organise talks in the mornings and evenings. But since the MCO began, we had to cancel most activities,” he said, adding that the residents now filled their time with reading the Quran.
The shelter also supports residents by taking them to the hospital for appointments.
Although Rumah Perlindungan Darul Ukhwah Muslim is a fully-funded shelter, Muhammad said, donations were welcome, especially during the MCO.
He founded an orphanage in Subang Jaya and Sekolah Maahad Sains Al-Quran Al-Amin in Bandar Sunway.
Donations can be made to Yayasan Al Amin via Maybank account number 5622-7260-3690.