Liew (right) getting feedback from the three homeless folks on their wellbeing.
PENAMPANG (Nov 30): Three homeless senior citizens were found taking shelter in an abandoned building at Taman Dabak in Donggongon near here.
Upon being alerted by members of the public, the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu City Park went there to distribute some food items and to check on their wellbeing and health.
Its president, Darren Liew Kong, Min said they have discovered that the three elderly folks, all in their late 60s have been living in the abandoned building for the past three to four years.
Known as Ah Yap from Sandakan, Ah Fah from Kudat and Ah Chin from Tawau, they are respectively work part-time as a plumber, welder and furniture maker around Kota Kinabalu.
However, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, all of them lost their jobs and have no source of income to support their daily needs.
“They are now relying on the public sympathy to feed them. They would walk to nearby shops in Donggongon to get their food. We hope the Social Welfare Department can look into their plight.
“They will be very happy if they can get a proper place to stay such as in the old folk’s home as this was their wishes.
“We have been told that all of them are bachelors and have lost contact with their family members back home. We’re unclear how they ended up in this pitiful situation,” said Liew.
The general public is welcome to help them too as so far the Lions Club has donated mattresses, pillows, blankets and mosquito nets to them, he said.