MIRI: When policeman Sergeant Ismail Karim finally decided to inspect his new house which he bought five years ago; he did not expect it to have fallen into a state of disrepair.

He intended to make arrangements to move into his new home after it was handed over to him back in 2015, but it did not work out as planned due to his heavy work commitments.

“Although my family and I were looking forward to the move, my work schedule became hectic so I had to postpone it. One thing led to another and before I knew it, years went by,” Ismail mused. Hence, Ismail’s house was left vacant since then.

He said five years is a long time to leave a house empty and without proper maintenance the house fell into a state of disrepair.

“I got very worried about the cost to repair my house. I’m also aware that the defect liability period had long expired. At that point I really didn’t know what to do,” Ismail said.

Despite feeling uncertain, Ismail persevered and took a leap of faith; he asked for assistance from Naim Group of Companies, the developer who built his ‘Citrus’ home.

As fate would have it, Naim had embarked on a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme called ‘Naim Thanks You’, an initiative to help its property purchasers in times of need.

The programme was part of the Group’s 25th anniversary activities focusing on community engagement and enhancement this year, and would form part of the group’s annual CSR programme in future.

Ismail’s house gets repainted by the staff members and volunteers.

Upon receiving Ismail’s request, a team led by Naim Miri regional general manager Abang Mahathir Mohamed went to inspect Ismail’s house and evaluate the state of disrepair.

Shortly thereafter, Ismail received unexpected news: Naim had selected him as the recipient of this new CSR programme.

“I’m at a loss for words! When I submitted by request to Naim, I didn’t have any expectations. However, I kept pushing myself to give it my all. It truly was a prayer answered when Naim reached out to tell me that they have selected me as the beneficiary of this programme” Ismail said.

Naim did not waste any time and work on Ismail’s house started at the end of June 2020.

With Naim contributing the building materials, many volunteers joined hands in a race against time to build Ismail’s house, including Naim staff and contractors who volunteered for the project.

In a true showcase of togetherness and volunteerism, the repair work got completed on Aug 8, 2020.

Many would agree that no words could describe the moment when Ismail looked at the refurbished house.

“I’m grateful for the efforts of all volunteers. I never expected that Naim would go to this extent to help me. This is indeed an unexpected blessing.

“I’ve learned an important lesson. With perseverance and hope, we can overcome the challenges that come our way,” he said.

To Naim, the project served as a reminder of how the company became what it is today as a result of the support from the communities.

Naim’s group deputy managing director Christina Wong said it was only right to give back to the community, regardless of whether they were purchasers or not.

“We are also looking at ways to address the various needs of our communities, such as the need for more affordable homes.

“In fact, plans are underway to build some 2,500 units of affordable and ‘intelligent’ homes (AI) homes in the next five years as part of our new 25 years’ big dream to build AI homes for one million people or more.

“Helping to repair Ismail’s house inspired our staff that what we do matters, and that everyone can make a difference.

“It was an honour for us to be involved. We wish Ismail all the best in time to come,” she said.

Naim staff members and volunteers repairing Ismail’s house and compound.

Source link: https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/naim-repairs-cops-house/