PETALING JAYA, Jan 13 — While most nine-year-olds only have to worry about what time they get to go out and play after school, one young girl in Kuala Lumpur has very different causes of concern.

This nine-year-old girl sells tissues by the roadside to support her family, as her mother is a Persons with Disabilities (PWD), suffering from visual impairments.

KL teacher Mohd Fadli Salleh received many reports about the young girl, and was understandably concerned about her well-being and sought to find her and her family so that he could help.

After many unsuccessful efforts of tracking them down, Fadli decided to take his search up a notch and look for them at their home address instead of on the street, as he shared their story onto his Facebook page yesterday.

Fadli explained that the mother can only work as a masseuse because of her disabilities, which doesn’t exactly make it easy to pay the bills, as their entire family faces multiple "big” issues.

"Their case is quite complicated and big. The mother is a PWD, the oldest child who is 16-year-old doesn’t go to school because of some problems,” wrote Fadli.

"The second child who is 14-years-old also doesn’t go to school because they don’t have money for clothes or to pay for books and fees.”

He revealed that the family does get support from the Welfare Department and Baitulmal, but have yet to receive this year’s aid, as their application is still being processed.

Over and above all, Fadli was worried about the welfare of the nine-year-old, as he didn’t like the fact that she would be selling tissues on the sidewalk all by herself.

"Because they haven’t gotten their financial support for this year yet, this young girl goes down to the streets to support her family by herself,” wrote Fadli.

"She sells tissues on the sidewalk, then brings the money back home and gives it to her mother and sisters for their daily expenditure.”

He added that the family also faces a number of problems that he describes as "heavy and confusing”, which he would rather not share to protect their image.

Not knowing what to do or what is the right procedure to help out this family, Fadli reached out to well-known social activist Syed Azmi for advice on how he could make this family’s life better, like Syed has done for many others.

"Syed Azmi is a seasoned pro when it comes to the welfare of others and the well-being of children, so I reached out to him,” wrote Fadli.

"After Whatsapp-ing him, he immediately gave me a call and taught me, step by step, on how to tackle this issue gently and calmly.”

Fadli was extremely eager to help the family, but wasn’t sure how to approach them appropriately, before he contacted Syed Azmi. — Picture via Facebook/ Mohd Fadli Salleh

Upon receiving Syed’s suggestions, Fadli went to visit the family at their home and discussed how he plans to help them based on their current needs.

"I gave them a few options to settle their problems, so that they can be taken care of again,” wrote Fadli.

"I agreed to help them with whatever that they need for school and for home use, provided they promise me that the young girl won’t have to sell tissues ever again.”

Fadli expressed that he offered to help the family with purchasing groceries and take care of anything they need for school, as well as giving them some extra cash for pocket money.

He even said that he’d help them with their rent for the first three months, while they wait for their financial aid to come in.

"I’ve had to come up with a lot on my end to help them, but I want to make sure that no matter what, those kids go back to school and the young girl doesn’t have to beg on the streets anymore,” wrote Fadli.

"I’m so worried about her. I’ve heard many stories and reports of young girls begging on the streets having to sell their bodies for RM5 to RM10, and I don’t want something similar to happen to this cute girl.”

Thankfully for Fadli, the family embraced his offers for help with open arms and agreed to let him help them until they get back on their feet.

He added that he would keep checking up on them from time to time to make sure they are alright and check on their progress.

Fadli’s post has since garnered nearly 5,000 likes on social media with nearly 300 shares, as users have sung praise for the local teacher and his kindness.

Social media users were singing praise for Fadli in the comments section. — Screengrab via Facebook/ Mohd Fadli Salleh.

Many social media users have sent in their good wishes to the family as they prayed that their lives will be eased in the future, without forgetting to thank Fadli for his altruistic actions to go out of his way and help them.

"Speechless! Oh God, please protect these innocent children who are just looking to put food on their table,” wrote one user.

"Regular monitoring can be a good form of motivation for families like this. Thank you teacher, we pray that God blesses you,” wrote another user.

Other social media users were equally congratulatory, as some even shared the numbers of various welfare and activist groups in the comments section, to assist Fadli with anything he may need to help them.