Malaysian aid volunteer's adorable video to Ellen DeGeneres goes viral
Malaysian travel blogger Rayyan Haries landed on the island of Lesbos in Greece in October, his mission simple: Operate a volunteer soup kitchen to feed Syrian refugees.
For the past one and a half months, things have been going well. Working out of a small outdoor soup kitchen, he and other volunteers have been dishing out tea, soup and sandwiches to the legions of hungry Syrians that are congregating on Greece's shores. His bubbly personality, altruism and efforts in helping the less fortunate have been picked up by the Malaysian and international media. But now, Rayyan is facing a problem.
Winter is coming.
Rayyan, in his own words, 'doesn't do well in winter. I'm Asian.'
And like any enterprising young person in the digital media age, Rayyan has turned to social media to crowdsource funds to winter proof his kitchen. Not satisfied with that, Rayyan has also turned to the fairy godmother of TV - Ellen DeGeneres, hoping she will grant his wish of a warmer winter.
Since it was posted on Facebook on 23 November, Rayyan’s video has picked up traction, getting over 400 shares and several commenters tagging DeGeneres in the post in hopes she will see it.
“I’m not a big NGO, I’m just a guy who believes food is hope, and I just want to keep feeding people,”
he says earnestly in the video plea addressed to DeGeneres.
"So if you can help us, that’ll be so amazing. Because you always have something for everyone around the world," he added.
Rayyan, dressed in a wacky orange animal suit, ended his plea by asking for his 'number one thing': bring Ellen Denegeres to Lesbos.
Click here to see Rayyan's video to Ellen DeGeneres.
While DeGeneres hasn't responded to Rayyan's plea yet, his campaign to raise GBP10,000 has found over 140 backers and raised close to GBP2,000.
"We don't have that much money nor resources to make our kitchen winter proof, we don't have high-end kitchen, but we have a strong resilient heart and passion to keep feeding people. We do have a container coming, food stock that allows us to feed up to 5000 people a day and that's it.
"It will be a tough winter for us #TheVolunteerCook. But we will still serve people, regardless. Keep us in your prayers and thoughts. Send us positive vibes, we will get through this. We will..." Rayyan said, in a poignant message on his campaign page.
The Malaysian, who has previously volunteered in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan and the Bohol earthquake, has been serving about 2,000 refugees a day in Skala Sikaminea since he arrived in Greece with only €1,000 in his pocket. Lesbos, where Skala Sikaminea is, has become the entry point to Europe for thousands of refugees from Syria and other parts of the Middle East and Africa who are fleeing war and poverty.
Calling himself #TheVolunteerCook, Rayyan has developed a devoted social media audience, building a following of almost 6,000 people on Facebook.
