ID :
34879
Wed, 12/10/2008 - 15:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/34879
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AWARD FOR GUTSY MUM WITH 43 FOSTER CHILDREN By S. Menaga
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Bernama) - Patience and perseverance have enabled Norlina Alawi, 37, to achieve an extraordinary feat in taking care of 50 children, including seven of her own.
The rest are children that she had adopted.
This gutsy woman, who hails from Johor Baharu, the capital of the southern
state of Johor, is the recipient of F&N's 'Anugerah Atasi Segala' (Outdo
Yourself Award), an award accorded on individuals who managed to overcome
great odds to succeed.
The award was given out in conjunction with F&N's 125th anniversary.
Norlina's award came under the human development category.
43 FOSTER CHILDREN
"I cared for all of these children at my home.
"The 43 children who I had adopted are those who had been either abandoned
or neglected by their parents like the children of patients, divorced couples,
drug addicts and prostitutes", she told reporters after receiving the award at a
function here recently.
Norlina said her biological children are aged between two and 17 years
while her youngest foster child is only two months old and the eldest is 30
years old.
HOW IT BEGAN
Norlina, who is a freelance speaker, established the Nurul Iman Malaysia's
welfare organisation for children of Aids/HIV patients, also known as
Pernim, here, on March 17, 2004.
The organisation provides care for neglected and abandoned children; most
of them children of Aids/HIV patients.
Two years later she set up the Pernim Shelter Home and became its
chairman.
According to Norlina, it all began when she met a child, who would
later
become her first adopted child in 2001.
The girl's name is Nurul Iman.
She said Nurul Iman is the daughter of a 23-year-old hearing-impaired woman
who was infected with HIV.
This woman became pregnant out of wedlock and her mother's family rejected
the child.
"I decided to care for the girl (Nurul Iman) and she became my first foster
child", she said.
GOD'S GIFTS
Norlina said she had never gone out to look for children for
adoption.
"I have never searched for them but all of them are God's gifts, even
though there are 100, 200 or 500 children, I would still accept and care for
them," she said.
Her husband, army major Roslan Zakariah, 43, gives her the support to take
care of all the adopted children.
According to this young mother, since last year the government contributed
RM80,000 for the Nurul Iman welfare home while the Federal Territory's Tithe
Centre contributed RM25,000 (US$7,352)this year.
Norlina said contributions also came from the corporate sector and
individuals.
She meets the rest of the costs to run the shelter home by holding talks at
functions.
ILLITERATE
Norlina said the children at the Nurul Iman shelter home needed at least
RM50,000 (US$14,705) a year for expenses on medical care, basic education and
religious guidance apart from the food and lodging.
"For the children not to feel being left out, I would invite teachers to
give them tuition as well as taekwondo instructors to train them at my house,"
she said.
Previously, most of Norliana's adopted children were illiterate, could
not perform the prayers and exhibited low intelligence quotient (IQ) but now they
have excelled in academic classes, capable of reciting the Quranic verses and
routinely perform the prayers.
Norlina and all of her children are taking part in a nationwide tour to
promote the importance of family care and noble values that began early this
month.
OTHER RECIPIENTS
Prakash is a 26-year-old blind University Malaya graduate who has a
Master's in translation.
He has translated hundreds of articles and books in Tamil, Bahasa Melayu
and English.
The 37-year-old Siow won a gold medal at this year's Beijing Paralympics
while Seng, who is 48 years old and a Bahasa Melayu teacher, had rescued his
students from being assaulted by another person.
Each of the four received RM3,000 cash, plaque and certificate as well
as F&N products.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad gave
away the award.
-- BERNAMA
The rest are children that she had adopted.
This gutsy woman, who hails from Johor Baharu, the capital of the southern
state of Johor, is the recipient of F&N's 'Anugerah Atasi Segala' (Outdo
Yourself Award), an award accorded on individuals who managed to overcome
great odds to succeed.
The award was given out in conjunction with F&N's 125th anniversary.
Norlina's award came under the human development category.
43 FOSTER CHILDREN
"I cared for all of these children at my home.
"The 43 children who I had adopted are those who had been either abandoned
or neglected by their parents like the children of patients, divorced couples,
drug addicts and prostitutes", she told reporters after receiving the award at a
function here recently.
Norlina said her biological children are aged between two and 17 years
while her youngest foster child is only two months old and the eldest is 30
years old.
HOW IT BEGAN
Norlina, who is a freelance speaker, established the Nurul Iman Malaysia's
welfare organisation for children of Aids/HIV patients, also known as
Pernim, here, on March 17, 2004.
The organisation provides care for neglected and abandoned children; most
of them children of Aids/HIV patients.
Two years later she set up the Pernim Shelter Home and became its
chairman.
According to Norlina, it all began when she met a child, who would
later
become her first adopted child in 2001.
The girl's name is Nurul Iman.
She said Nurul Iman is the daughter of a 23-year-old hearing-impaired woman
who was infected with HIV.
This woman became pregnant out of wedlock and her mother's family rejected
the child.
"I decided to care for the girl (Nurul Iman) and she became my first foster
child", she said.
GOD'S GIFTS
Norlina said she had never gone out to look for children for
adoption.
"I have never searched for them but all of them are God's gifts, even
though there are 100, 200 or 500 children, I would still accept and care for
them," she said.
Her husband, army major Roslan Zakariah, 43, gives her the support to take
care of all the adopted children.
According to this young mother, since last year the government contributed
RM80,000 for the Nurul Iman welfare home while the Federal Territory's Tithe
Centre contributed RM25,000 (US$7,352)this year.
Norlina said contributions also came from the corporate sector and
individuals.
She meets the rest of the costs to run the shelter home by holding talks at
functions.
ILLITERATE
Norlina said the children at the Nurul Iman shelter home needed at least
RM50,000 (US$14,705) a year for expenses on medical care, basic education and
religious guidance apart from the food and lodging.
"For the children not to feel being left out, I would invite teachers to
give them tuition as well as taekwondo instructors to train them at my house,"
she said.
Previously, most of Norliana's adopted children were illiterate, could
not perform the prayers and exhibited low intelligence quotient (IQ) but now they
have excelled in academic classes, capable of reciting the Quranic verses and
routinely perform the prayers.
Norlina and all of her children are taking part in a nationwide tour to
promote the importance of family care and noble values that began early this
month.
OTHER RECIPIENTS
Prakash is a 26-year-old blind University Malaya graduate who has a
Master's in translation.
He has translated hundreds of articles and books in Tamil, Bahasa Melayu
and English.
The 37-year-old Siow won a gold medal at this year's Beijing Paralympics
while Seng, who is 48 years old and a Bahasa Melayu teacher, had rescued his
students from being assaulted by another person.
Each of the four received RM3,000 cash, plaque and certificate as well
as F&N products.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad gave
away the award.
-- BERNAMA
