۱۰ فروردین ۱۴۰۳ |۱۹ رمضان ۱۴۴۵ | Mar 29, 2024
News ID: 357453
27 April 2019 - 12:30
Penang mosque opens 'boutique' for the needy

The boutique operates 24 hours daily and managed by 20 volunteers, aged between 24 and 60.

Hawzah News Agency (Penang, Malaysia) – Instead of the more popular 'gerobok rezeki' (chest of blessings) filled with groceries for needy people, Permatang Rambai mosque in Penaga, here, has its own way of helping the poor.

It has a "boutique" that gives away free clothes, both brand new and used. It offers robes for men and women, as well as 'baju Melayu' and other outfits for adults and children.

Opened last December, the boutique is an initiative of the mosque's welfare bureau.

The brain behind it all was Robiah Che Mat, 62, who said the idea came whilst she and her husband Saad Yaakob were thinking of ways to keep themselves occupied after retirement.

Initially, she and her husband, who was the chairman of the mosque's welfare bureau, would pass their time by voluntarily cleaning up the mosque.

Their efforts were noticed by other members of the congregation who also wanted to participate in such activities.

That was when Robiah came up with the idea of setting up a boutique offering new or pre-loved clothes contributed by the congregation to needy people in the area.

Her proposal was met with overwhelming response, and soon some 5,000 articles of clothing were collected.

"The idea of having a boutique was also supported by mosque chairman Datuk Ghazali Hashim who gave us some space (for the boutique) near the mosque," she said.

The boutique was also publicized via social media and WhatsApp.

"To date, we have collected more than 10,000 pieces of used clothing and more than 2,000 new ones," said Robiah.

Among those who have availed themselves of the free clothes are members of the local community and even those from Kulim and Sungai Petani in Kedah.

The boutique operates 24 hours daily and managed by 20 volunteers, aged between 24 and 60.

Robiah said they have also placed a donation box in front of the boutique to encourage the practice of giving alms.

"The money collected is used for buying foodstuff like rice, sugar and flour to be distributed to the poor," she said.

Homemaker Nor Asmiza Abdul Rahim, 37, was thankful to the boutique for providing her family with clothes.

She said her family usually bought their clothes from second-hand apparel shops as her labourer husband could not afford to buy them new clothes.

"So far, I have taken clothes from the mosque's boutique three times. I also managed to get school uniforms for my children there." she added.

 

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