Mom happy Nur Afia's effort gets Finance Minister's attention

There is nothing more pleasing for a mother than to see her nine-year-old child capable of contributing to the country by providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline personnel in the fight against COVID-19.

Hasnah Hud, 38, said though her daughter Nur Afia Qistina Zamzuri had no clue what COVID-19 was all about, she was aware that PPE gowns were important for frontliners and this made her volunteer her sewing service for free.

"When I first showed her a photograph of a Tuanku Ampuan Najihah Hospital (HTAN), Kuala Pilah staff cutting some PPE materials, Nur Afia asked what they were for. I told her that they were for gowns to be worn by nurses and doctors when treating COVID-19 patients.

"When I told Nur Afia that there were insufficient gowns at HTAN and I was going to help sew them, she expressed her desire to do the same, as at that time there was nothing else for her to do as school had closed," she said when contacted by Bernama here yesterday.

The media had earlier highlighted on the nine-year-old sewing PPE gowns for health workers.

The article on Nur Afia yesterday also attracted the attention of Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz who in his speech when tabling the Fifth Report on the PRIHATIN package implementation, thanked Nur Afia for her contribution.

Elaborating, Hasnah said she was also surprised to see her daughter taking only a day to learn the steps and after showing her how to cut and sew two gowns, she was able to do it on her own.

When she first started sewing the PPE gowns on March 30, Nur Afia took about an hour and a half to complete one gown, but now she only takes half an hour and in one day she could produce four or five PPE gowns.

"She learns fast probably because she had learnt to sew since she was five. Nur Afia has also registered as a volunteer for the Kuala Pilah District Education Office. I am very pleased that Nur Afia's efforts has caught the attention of the Finance Minister," she added.

Apart from sewing PPE gowns, Hasnah also receives tailoring orders for Hari Raya outfits and now with her daughter helping to sew the PPE gowns, she could concentrate on sewing Hari Raya clothes for her customers.

"So far, we have sewn 160 pieces of PPE gowns and we have another 90 pieces to complete," she said.

--BERNAMA