Shocked by a woman’s living situation, the boss of an air-conditioning firm Lion City Aircon decided to furnish her flat and help her two school-going children.
Albania-born Singapore permanent resident Hermes Xhika and his wife Irene Ang told MS News that they frequently give away furniture on Carousell.
But when someone reached out to ask for several items, it made Mr Xhika and his team visit her rental flat.
To his shock, he found out that the divorced woman and her children, aged nine and 11, only had a single mattress and no other furniture.
After learning of their situation, Mr Xhika decided to furnish her home completely free of charge.
Ms Ang told MS News that the woman had reached out regarding a furniture giveaway by Lion City Aircon.
She explained that they have done such giveaways since last year for the needy, and encourage people to message their account if they are truly in need.
Image courtesy of Hermes Xhika and Irene Ang
One woman took up the offer and first messaged the couple for a sofa.
She also asked for several more household items, such as a fridge, washing machine, cupboards, cabinets, and even stoves.
Image courtesy of Hermes Xhika and Irene Ang
This particular woman then asked for other items “to bless [her] rental house”.
Image courtesy of Hermes Xhika and Irene Ang
The woman added she is a divorced mum of two primary school girls.
Usually, the couple would request that the person come over to collect the furniture.
This time though, Mr Xhika and Ms Ang decided to visit the woman’s house in Toa Payoh to check on her living situation.
When they arrived, they were greeted with only one mattress and no other furniture within the one-room flat.
Source: @lioncityairconangmo on TikTok
Mr Xhika was shocked, to say the least.
“He said, ‘Do people who are this poor in Singapore really exist?” Ms Ang recounted.
She went on to tell him there are many stories about poor Singaporeans that aren’t told online.
After seeing her flat, Mr Xhika and Ms Ang decided to furnish her entire home free of charge.
They were primarily concerned about the woman’s daughters, who are aged nine and 11 and in primary school.
“Just imagine, if you’re in primary school and your parents can’t provide things to us, as kids we’d be down and sad too,” Ms Ang told MS News.
We just want the kids to have a better place and home to stay.
According to Ms Ang, they put together an entire list of household items to give her, even though initially they didn’t have many of the items.
The extensive list of furnishings included the following:
On top of that, they also supplied the woman with food items like instant noodles, cereal, and Milo.
Image courtesy of Hermes Xhika and Irene Ang
Netizens welcomed the move, with many blessing Mr Xhika for his generosity.
Moving forward, Ms Ang told MS News that they hope to help more of such individuals who are living in one-room HDB flats.
She particularly highlighted those who are single parents, or old and disabled.
To Ms Ang and Mr Xhika, the initiative is a “part of [their] payback to Singapore society”.
“Those who really need help can reach out to us but we must go and see the place and understand [your] situation more,” said Ms Ang.
Mr Xhika originally moved from Albania to Singapore in 2014 to be with Ms Ang.
He had almost no money when he arrived and his job as a pest control company employee paid little despite the long hours.
In 2016, however, he started an air-conditioning company, and after three months he already broke even.
Now, although he can live comfortably, he and Ms Ang continue to do what they can for charity.
You can read more about the story of Hermes Xhika here.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image courtesy of Hermes Xhika and Irene Ang and @lioncityairconangmo on TikTok.
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