KUALA LUMPUR: Former newspaper editor Sheila Rahman Natarajan’s eight-year struggle to help five stateless children gain Malaysian citizenship has earned her the Rotary Club of Ara Damansara’s (RCAD) inaugural Extra Mile Award.
Sheila, a retired Sunday Mail editor, was recognised for her tireless humanitarian efforts after the last two of the five children finally received their MyKad on Sept 22. The award was presented at RCAD’s 9th Installation Dinner last week.
RCAD president Siraanjivi Ganasan said the Extra Mile Award was created to honour individuals who demonstrate compassion and perseverance “beyond the call of duty.”
“Sheila’s story is a powerful example of what one person’s persistence and compassion can achieve,” he said. “Her unwavering commitment truly embodies our Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self.’
We hope she continues to inspire others to walk the extra mile for humanity.”
Siraanjivi said the club had supported Sheila over the years with meal subsidies and computers for the children’s schoolwork.
Present at the ceremony were the five children, now aged between 13 and 20, and their father.
Rotary District 3300 governor Edward Khoo and several past district governors also attended.
Known affectionately as “Aunty Sheila” among Rotarians, she first got involved in 2017 after joining neighbours to help a struggling family of five children left behind when their mother disappeared.
What began as a simple act of kindness turned into a long-term mission.
Sheila not only provided food and education but also fought a drawn-out bureaucratic battle to secure the children’s legal identities.
Over the years, she accompanied the family on numerous visits to government departments and ministerial offices. The children eventually obtained guardianship orders in 2019, birth certificates in 2021, and were legally adopted by their father in 2022, paving the way for their citizenship applications.
Her persistence paid off this year when the final two children were granted citizenship.
“Each step required immense patience, paperwork and persistence,” she said. “We just kept walking the extra mile, one step at a time, until we finally achieved our goal.”
Fighting back tears, Sheila said the award was “a little bittersweet.”
“This is a happy ending for my children, but I know there are still thousands of others who remain in limbo. I hope their turn will come too,” she said.
Sheila was previously recognised by the National Press Club in 2023 with the NPC-MACROKIOSK Muhibbah Award for her compassionate advocacy for the stateless community.
The new recognition from RCAD further cements her as a beacon of unity and compassion, a reminder that one individual’s persistence can restore dignity and hope to others.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
