How's this for an inspiring story: two Malaysians have decided to take matters into their own hands by hand-delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) items and face masks to medical frontliners.

They did so by driving across four states and braving more than 50 roadblocks.

A journey to remember

It's a long and hard journey for these two men.
According to a report by Malay Mail, the two volunteers, Mohd Zulhairi Zainol and Mohd Hafizzal Hashim, have been travelling to Terengganu, Kelantan, Perak and Pahang by car to deliver vital medical and non-medical supplies to health facilities coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both Mohd Zulhairi and Mohd Haffizal are volunteers for the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia Response and Relief Team (Imaret), a relief non-profit organisation.

Its chief coordinator Dr Ahmad Munawwar Helmi Salim told the news portal that the pair's journey started in Bangi on Sunday (12 April) evening and they managed to drop off more than 1,000 PPEs and 11,000 face masks to district health centres and hospitals in Perak.

Mohd Zulhairi Zainol posing with their lorry.
They then reached Kelantan around 1am on Tuesday (14 April) to drop off 1,000 PPEs, face masks and hand sanitisers before travelling to Terengganu to drop off another 500 PPEs and 2,500 face masks.

Mohd Zulhairi and Mohd Haffizal ended their journey by travelling to Pahang to drop off more than 600 PPEs and 7,000 masks.

Dr Ahmad said the two brave volunteers made their way back to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (15 April).

Slept in the lorry and braving road blocks

The men slept in their lorry.
The men's journey was harder than it looks, Dr Ahmad revealed, as they reportedly slept in their lorry the entire journey.

“We as well as many offered assistance along the way, some offered Airbnb or homestay, but these guys said no.

“They slept in the lorry and kept pushing on.

“When they arrived at our base in Kelantan, we told them to rest but they said ‘It’s okay, we’ll continue,'” he was quoted as saying.


Along the way, they had to also brave more than 50 roadblocks, and they even cooked humble meals and eating them by the roadside.

“It’s difficult to get food because of Movement Control Order (MCO) but these guys were prepared from the start,” Dr Ahmad was quoted as saying, adding that both men brought along ingredients and equipment to cook their meals.

In total, Mohd Zulhairi and Mohd Haffizal travelled more than 1,943km - the longest any volunteer has been on the road, Dr Ahmad said.

Well done, you guys! Thank you for taking the time and sacrificing for our frontliners.