The Story of an Elderly Couple in Poverty and Danger

The Story of an Elderly Couple Living in Stark Poverty and Constant Threat

A true account of neglect, danger, and failed attempts to seek help

1. Household Background & Origin of the House

This couple — the husband, a 64‑year‑old Malaysian citizen, and his wife, a 48‑year‑old foreign national — were married in 2022 and began living in an inherited house located in Melaka. The house is registered under the name of the husband's father, who passed away in 2008.

Before they moved in, the house had been occupied by three other individuals:

• The mother (deceased in 2019),
• The eldest brother (male, still alive),
• The youngest sibling (who has since moved to Vietnam).

When the couple moved in during 2022, they discovered that the house had been without water and electricity since 2016, owing to long‑overdue bills left by the previous occupants. Utility bills, land tax, and assessment tax had also been in arrears since that year.

2. Daily Life Without Basic Amenities

Since 2016 until now, the couple has been forced to rely entirely on rainwater for drinking, cooking, and bathing. They collect and store rainwater in jerry cans and mineral water bottles whenever it rains. During dry spells, they are forced to conserve water to an extreme degree.

Moreover, the inherited house is now beginning to collapse — the roof leaks and is no longer safe to live in. They lack the financial means to repair it.

3. Security Threats from a Close Family Member

The couple is forced to share the house compound with the husband's eldest brother — an elderly man with mental health issues who is manipulative in nature. This man frequently acts aggressively and deliberately bathes naked in open areas (not in the bathroom), particularly when the wife is at the back of the house cooking or collecting rainwater.

Since then, the wife has lived in constant fear. She confines herself to her room and only comes out when she is certain that her brother‑in‑law is not home. If she needs to go to the kitchen, she waits until he has finished bathing — but the man often deliberately bathes again the moment he sees her leave the room.

The husband, meanwhile, suffers from chronic stress, is easily angered, and sometimes speaks incoherently or says hurtful things — all signs of prolonged trauma caused by their dire living conditions.

4. Early Attempts to Seek Help (Which Bore No Fruit)

Prior to this, the couple had already made several appeals to various parties:

a) Visit from government agencies (April 2025)

A group of representatives from a political party and officers from the Department of Social Welfare came to the house. The husband provided copies of utility bills, tax documents, and his identity card as proof. However, they only interviewed the eldest brother (the manipulative one) and took photographs with him to post on their respective social media platforms. The couple was not taken seriously at all. No follow‑up assistance was provided.

b) Appeal letters sent to various parties

The wife did not give up. She sent appeal letters to the office of the local Member of Parliament, the Women's Office, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, as well as several well‑known social media influencers in Malaysia. None received a positive response.

5. First Contact with a Welfare Organisation

In July 2026, the wife came across an advertisement for a welfare organisation on the internet. The ad featured deeply moving images — purportedly showing the organisation helping to repair the homes of the poor, covering monthly rent, and offering various other forms of assistance. The wife felt drawn to it and was filled with hope.

24 July 2026 — The wife sent a WhatsApp message to the organisation, recounting their plight — living without water and electricity, and sharing the house with an individual who frequently appears naked. She also sent photos and videos of the damaged roof.

3 July 2026 — The organisation called, but at that time the couple was busy collecting rainwater and was unable to answer.

6 July 2026 — The organisation called twice more. The wife was cooking at the time. With her phone battery nearly depleted, she mustered the courage to call back. The organisation asked them to come to their office.

7 July 2026 — The couple went to the organisation's office. They were received warmly by a welfare officer, who recorded all their information and took copies of their documents (utility bills, land tax, assessment tax). The officer was almost moved to tears upon hearing their story and told them that they would receive rental assistance and that they could return home and wait for further updates.

6. Volunteer Visit — 12 July 2026 (Disillusionment Begins)

11 July 2026 — A volunteer called and informed them that a visit would take place the following day. The wife honestly told the volunteer to be careful because they live with a mentally unstable man who frequently appears naked.

12 July 2026 (10:30 am) — Three volunteers arrived. The couple greeted them with smiles, but one young female volunteer did not return the smile. Her eyes seemed to be searching for something — scrutinising the motorcycle and car in the yard, even though the car has been broken and immobile since 2016.

The young volunteer's attitude felt like that of a magistrate investigating an offence. Among the things she said:

❝ “It's dirty here, lots of mosquitoes. You should clean up.” — even though they live in a dilapidated area and depend on rainwater — it is impossible to stay clean.

❝ “Sell the things you don't use. All of this needs to be sold.” — even though those items do not belong to them to sell, and who would want to buy broken goods?

❝ “Get a job. Don't be lazy.” — even though the wife had actually worked before, but stopped because her employer refused to process her work visa and did not pay her wages for a month. She does not want to become an undocumented migrant.

Sensitive religious issue:

The young volunteer also questioned the husband's religious affiliation (he is a Christian) by saying: “Why don't you just ask for help from your church?”

Rental assistance rejected:

When the wife raised the need for rental assistance to help them move out of the dangerous area, the young volunteer cut her off and said firmly: “That is not our job.”

Blocking of documentation:

An older volunteer who had brought a notebook to record information was cynically stopped by the young volunteer. As a result, no official record was made that day.

The overall visit:

The conversation did not focus on what kind of help could be given, but rather drifted here and there — as if the volunteers were judging and looking for faults, rather than helping.

7. Unprofessional Follow‑up Actions

After the visit, the couple felt deeply disappointed and wrote a complaint email to the organisation's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, requesting rental assistance and reporting the lack of empathy shown by the volunteer.

However, the email was not handled by the headquarters. Instead, it was forwarded back to the Melaka branch — the very same branch that was the subject of the complaint.

Shortly after, the same young volunteer began sending WhatsApp messages directly to the husband's phone number — a man who is already suffering from stress and trauma. This was perceived as a form of psychological harassment and a highly underhanded act.

8. Conclusion: No Longer Hoping for That Branch

The couple has now made the following decisions:

• They no longer wish to deal with that organisation's Melaka branch.
• They reject any further visits from volunteers of that branch.
• They have submitted all their documents directly to the headquarters in Kuala Lumpur for a fairer and more transparent evaluation.

They only hope that there is a party that truly cares about the fate of neglected elderly citizens — without religious prejudice, without judgmental attitudes, and without using bureaucracy as a means to avoid helping.

— End of report —