Norazhar Hussin, the founder of charity group Ride of Hope SG, documents 10 years of giving and inspiring, and what one can do to uplift the less fortunate.
Ride of Hope SG started in 2012 when my group of mountain bikers were invited to explore the Indonesia bike trail in Batam. During our lunch break I saw many beggars, including children, along the streets and at traffic light junctions. I asked my driver about the situation and he explained that their only hope was to be enrolled into a Panti (orphanage). I asked him to bring us to one called Panti Asuhan Daarut Thaybah — which was where I got the inspiration to do turn Ride of Hope SG into a charity group.
We did our first charity drive to build an annex building for the boys as they were sharing a small room with the girls — all 20 of them who did not have enough to live normal lives as children. Getting sponsors and donations were a challenge but with a good team then, we managed to raise $20,000 for the building works. Every member leads different lives but I believe having a positive mindset and a common goal unites us. It’s important to manage our expectations, do our best and accept what’s given.
I can’t believe that Ride of Hope SG is 10 years old this year. We’ve been driving and giving for a decade. I must thank all our supporters who started with me back then in 2012 and the mountain bikers from Flowriders for supporting us in almost all our efforts and events. Difficulties will always exist and there were times when I had to plan and deliver the projects single-handedly. Support continued to flow in which made the victories sweeter.
View this post on Instagram
A memorable project we embarked on was Project Kilat — which means flash or lightning — it took me a month to raise $1,000 to build a mosque in Batam called Musollah Baiturrohim. What was good was that the currency exchange meant I could donate Rp1,000, 000, 000 (around SGD 95, 000) which meant we could do a lot in that short span of time which was special to me. I learnt that it was not impossible to raise funds urgently and that people are willing to give and care. Another project close to my heart was a fundraiser to help build new classrooms at an orphanage. We also had to purchase tables and chairs as children sat and wrote on the floor while lessons were conducted.
If there are extreme cases of poverty in Singapore, then we have failed. Here, there are collaborations between agencies and community partners like temples, churches, mosques and community centres that look into the needs of senior citizens and the lower income. I have observed that sometimes, the donations are not a necessity to the recipient and go to waste. I would like the government and agencies to come up with better resources to benefit these populations and approach such assistance in sustainable and effective ways. We can also care for affected communities and people in Singapore by equipping them with ways to earn income through current technology.
View this post on Instagram
We have worked on projects in Singapore, Indonesia, India, Palestine, Malaysia and Nigeria but there are still developing countries that we have not impacted. Perhaps we can do something for the Philippines in the future as I know the schools have not opened since the pandemic started and many low income families do not have internet connection or computers for their children to engage in online studies. If there’s a chance to, we would like to connect with them and build a safe space with internet connection, computer facilities and study spaces.
If you’d like to know what you can do today to help someone in need, it would be to listen, understand their needs and provide the basic necessities for their daily needs. Lend a helping hand today so that they can, in time, help others.
Ride of Hope is looking to raise SGD $100,000, support three thousand orphanages across the region, provide basic english classes for a hundred orphanages, help a total of five hundred families facing less fortunate predicaments Singapore and two hundred youths fight against drug abuse. Visit rideofhopesg.com to find out more.
Once you’re done with this story about and made a donation, click here to catch up with our December/January 2022 issue!
RELATED ARTICLES
