Young Malaysian Makes His Mark In International Humanitarian Work

By Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- A chance encounter with a Malaysian diplomat in Bosnia and Herzegovina two years ago had such a profound impact on Thaqib Shaker that it practically changed his destiny. The Malaysian student had just completed his degree course at Gediz University in Izmir – a city located on Turkey's Aegean coast – and was taking a break in the Balkan region with two friends in the summer of 2015 before pursuing his Master's degree in international relations. They visited Montenegro and Kosovo before heading to Bosnia. During his first visit to this nation a year earlier, he had befriended a Bosnian girl named Ajla who used to work for a Malaysian company based there. Thaqib caught up with her during his second visit and she invited him to meet the Malaysia ambassador to Bosnia Anuar Kasman. Little did he know that the unexpected meeting was set to change the course of his life. MOST INSPIRING MEETING "We spent about two hours talking and Datuk (Anuar) spoke to me about the work he did to relieve the plight of Bosnians trapped in poverty. "I realised it was his helpful and charitable nature that endeared him to the locals," Thaqib, 27, told Bernama during a recent interview, here. Deeply touched by the ambassador's humanitarian spirit, Thaqib decided to follow in his footsteps. Before returning to Turkey, he and his friends visited Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, where he told them about his meeting with the Malaysian ambassador. One of his travel mates, identified only as Halim, was then the president of the Malaysian Students Association in Turkey and Thaqib suggested to him that they could embark on their humanitarian mission by helping the impoverished communities in Izmir where their university was located. Halim nodded his head in agreement and Thaqib immediately started working out an action plan. "I was so excited as previously I had never even harboured a single thought of involving myself in humanitarian work," he said. That was two years ago. Today, Thaqib has a non-profit organisation called Universal Humanitarian Aid (UNIAID), with branches in Malaysia and Turkey, registered in his name and he is fully committed to carrying out humanitarian activities. True to the charitable spirit he had acquired only two years ago, the young man is doing good work helping the Syrian refugees in Turkey, and Rohingya refugees and the homeless in Malaysia. MAIDEN HUMANITARIAN PROJECT Recalling the first humanitarian programme he was involved in two years ago, Thaqib said when he scouted around for communities in need of help, he came upon Kadifekale, a hilly neighbourhood located in Izmir's Konak district. He found Kadifekale somewhat backward in terms of development and mostly populated by Kurds and Syrian refugees. "They were all living in extreme poverty and the place was dirty and had a high crime rate. "There were many Syrian refugees begging on the streets. Children were walking about without wearing shoes or socks. Winter was approaching and many refugees had gathered in front of the mosque hoping to get food, medicines and other supplies to see them through winter," he said. Noting that they desperately needed help, Thaqib joined forces with five other students in Turkey – two South Korean, two Spanish and a Pakistani – to raise funds and buy winter supplies for them. Thaqib said the Syrian refugees in Izmir comprised those who used the city as a transit to go to Europe and those who intended to settle down in Turkey. TALE BEHIND NEW PAIR OF SOCKS In January 2016, Thaqib and two of his friends from Pakistan and Montenegro organised a paper doll making project for the children of Syrian refugees in Basmane, a district in Izmir. The tiny house where their 21-year-old Syrian acquaintance named Walaa lived with her family was used as the base for their project. "While my friends and I were busy carrying out the project, I couldn't help noticing Walaa's father observing me and I wondered if I had done anything wrong. "When the project ended, he called me into his room and gave me a gift – a pair of socks. Apparently, he had noticed that the socks I was wearing were tattered and he wanted to get me a new pair," Thaqib related, adding that he was told that Walaa's father bought the socks using part of a donation he had received from him (Thaqib) to pay his water and electricity bills. "I didn't want to accept his gift but he was adamant that I should have a new pair of socks. I reluctantly accepted it and felt deeply moved. I immediately put on the new pair and Walaa's father thanked me before throwing away my old socks. ESTABLISHMENT OF AEGEAN REFUGEE AID When Thaqib embarked on his first humanitarian project in Turkey, he used his Facebook account to promote his cause and seek the support of people who could contribute essential articles to the targeted communities. "The response was good and my living room started overflowing with items like winter clothing and medicines," he said. He was so motivated with the response that he started planning his second humanitarian project without wasting much time. This time, he collaborated with an American woman who was working temporarily in Turkey. The two decided to set up an independent organisation called Aegean Refugee Aid (ARA) to facilitate their humanitarian work and fund-raising activities. After ARA was set up, more volunteers from abroad came forth to help and within the first six months of its establishment, they managed to extend US$6,977 (RM30,000) worth of contributions to the Syrian refugees in Izmir. Thaqib said when he returned to Malaysia for a holiday in June last year, he registered ARA with the Registrar of Societies. Later, the organisation's name was changed to Universal Humanitarian Aid. Thaqib, who is UNIAID president, said the name change was necessary to widen the organisation's scope of humanitarian activities and to cover more groups of beneficiaries. "Instead of helping only Syrian refugees in Turkey, we are now also helping other refugees, as well as the homeless and poverty-stricken communities," he said. Thaqib, who has already completed his studies and is fully involved with humanitarian work through UNIAID, will be leaving for Bosnia in September to carry out a project there. "Where my involvement in humanitarian work is concerned, I still have a long way to go and I expect my journey ahead to be filled with joy and all kinds of challenges. "I also intend to use this opportunity to write books that can inspire the younger generation in Malaysia," added Thaqib, who has authored a book titled, "Anak Malaya Di Republik Turki" (A Malaysian in the Republic of Turkey), a chronicle of his humanitarian efforts in Izmir. -- BERNAMA