Written by
Kim Lim

May 8th is a date that the Picha girls will never forget, as it’s the date we lost our closest family member in Picha, Zaza. Ever since Zaza left, we make sure that whenever we share about Picha with other organisations, corporations and individuals, Zaza’s story will definitely be highlighted. Throughout the months, we have seen countless people shedding tears hearing the story of this amazing man.

Time definitely has no mercy in slowing down, it felt like we just lost him just yesterday. As I counted before writing this post, it’s been half a year since Zaza left us to his paradise. It’s been half a year since Rania, his wife started living alone with her son, and it’s been half a year since our Picha Heroes did not get to taste the delicious meals Zaza made before.

His son grew to be more and more like him in his facial features. We see him grow taller and stronger day by day, and we are feeling better knowing that Rania has picked herself back up really well and is already sending her son to school. Please be rest assured that it’s a good school that Rania has sent the boy to, as she wanted the best school for her kid and she worked hard to make sure that happens.

I remembered one time, when Rania was preparing for an open house, she sighed and said “Zaza, Zaza” and shook her head. It was truly hard to prepare an open house without her husband because Zaza had always put his standards really high in preparing for an open house and Rania wanted to keep up to that standard. Therefore, she tried her best to make really good food during her open houses and made sure Zaza could see how our Picha Heroes’ faces light up when they enjoy the feast. Gosh, I already feel like crying again writing this till here..

Though time is merciless, time can heal too. It has definitely been different in Picha after Zaza left, but we are now more bonded than ever, filled with more energy and believe that everything happens for a reason. Zaza’s leaving reminded us to appreciate our friends and family more, our team, our Picha heroes and especially to build our company stronger to reach out to more people as soon as possible. He became part of our motivation to push boundaries in the social enterprise sector and his belief in doing good also become part of our values.

As for Rania, she’s beginning to cry lesser each time we share about Zaza during her open houses. We see positive vibes and energy on her face more and more as she works hard to raise her only son. She celebrates our birthdays just like how Zaza would, she does her best during open houses just like how Zaza did and she loves us and her son every moment just like how Zaza loved. Most importantly, she makes sure she is independent, strong and not rely on others to pity her of her situation.

Did you know that Zaza even became the face of adversity in NST few months ago? Who would have thought a man, a refugee would be featured on the front page of our local paper, representing many others who are in the same situation. Zaza found himself hope in this country because of his resilience, positiveness and determination.

The story of this man and his family should continue to spread on, their resilience should be celebrated and many more individuals should get to know about his spirit.

November 17, we are releasing a video of a true story, of how Picha girls and Zaza became a family, and how his wife stood up strong and continue to impact the world with us.

Join us in sharing this video as we make sure more people know about how this man has impacted the life of ours and many others. You can make a difference with us and Zaza.

We love you, Zaza.