While the Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone, the less fortunate are often disproportionately impacted by the virus.
An uncle living in Toa Payoh has been sleeping on a piece of cardboard amongst ants and cockroaches as his flat had become inhabitable.
Thankfully, on Sunday (6 Sep) a group of volunteers came by to help the uncle clean out his house.
Fion Phua, the founder of the volunteer group Keeping Hope Alive, shared photos of volunteers cleaning out the uncle’s flat to shed light on the struggles the uncle faced.
According to Lianhe Wanbao, the 81-year-old uncle has lived alone at Block 64 Toa Payoh Lorong 5 for the past 4 years.
He used to work in a factory but as he got older, he could not find a job.
The elderly uncle now relies on the odd income he gets from selling scraps collected around the neighbourhood on his bicycle.
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the stall halted collections and he is unable to sell off the scraps.
The items ended up piled up in his house. Eventually this caused rats and cockroaches in the flat.
His house was in such poor condition that he chose to sleep outside his flat during this period.
On Sunday (6 Sep), a group of volunteers decided to help the uncle clear out and clean up.
This was no easy task, every surface of the elderly uncle’s flat seemed to be filled.
The volunteers had to clear all the scrap items out of the uncle’s cluttered flat.
This was not a job for the faint-hearted, as they uncovered that the flat was teeming with pests.
While volunteers were cleaning up, rats were running amok, dodging between items.
There were also many cockroaches scurrying around.
In total, they found 12 rats in the flat.
7 hours and 35 bags of trash later, the 35 volunteers completed the mission.
They cleared out the uncle’s flat, leaving the floors glistening clean.
The uncle expressed immense gratefulness.
He explained that he did not mean to hoard the items but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he could not sell them off.
He also wan’t strong enough to clean the flat up at his advanced age.
The kind volunteers even bought the uncle a bed so he no longer has to spend his nights sleeping on cardboard.
Keeping Hope Alive Volunteers said they would also provide the uncle with necessities such as cutlery and clothes.
Kudos to the Keeping Hope Alive volunteers for the heart they have for the less fortunate members in society and their efforts in helping the uncle.
The common touch of humanity is often found not in our joy, but our struggles.
Let us not forget that while we might all be impacted in some ways by the pandemic, there are people living amidst us truly struggling.
Every small act of kindness counts and can always do our part to help out in whatever ways we can.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
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