EBIT Irawan Ibrahim Lew, better known as Ebit Lew, is no stranger to poverty.

Born into a family of 11 children in Muadzam Shah, Pahang, Ebit told The Malaysian Insight he suffered deprivation while growing up.

He often went to bed hungry and had only a set of school uniform to wear the whole year, complete with a pair of socks with holes.

“I do not come from a rich family. At one period, my family went bankrupt. I had one school uniform that I would wear every day. I had holes in my socks and my parents could not afford my school fees,” said the 36-year-old Ebit.

“Growing up poor, I received so much help from people, including strangers.

“I know what it is to be poor and hungry. And I know what it is to give, especially to the poor and marginalised.”

The Universiti Putra Malaysia graduate is easily recognisable by his shaggy beard, skull cap and jubah, and is well known for his caring attitude towards the poor and marginalised, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) group.

Ebit owns a motivational company, a clothing store, 18 convenience stores and four restaurants in the Klang Valley.

He became famous for charity work during the Covid-19 pandemic. He once chartered a plane to deliver 10 tonnes of food to Sabah and has provided government hospitals with medical supplies.

Recently, he donated 200kg of beef and 500kg of fruits and vegetables to Zoo Negara when it ran out of money to feed the animals.

During the Selangor water crisis, he sent two tankers to residents in Batu Caves.

Ebit gets funds from the sale of motivational books he authored and from the public to carry out his charity work.

He said he never seeks public contributions, as he wants to avoid any wrong assumption.

“I used the money I earned from my businesses, it is like alms giving, but then people started asking me how they can contribute.

“Even when I refused, they kept asking me for my bank account number. So to avoid mismanagement and abuse, I opened up a fund, an account for the public to donate.”

Ebit started doing charity work at 12 when he joined a religious congregation to help the marginalised.

“At the age of 12, I decided to follow a group of people from my congregation to do charity work. I will not be at home during weekends or even during school holidays.

“We would help the Orang Asli community or we would go to the rural areas where we helped build toilets and fixed their homes.

“It was then that I was introduced to charity work and began to understand that we must help those in need.”

Ebit, who is now a motivational speaker, said he frequently asked for Allah’s help whenever he’s in trouble.

“Our lives are too short and we can’t help everyone. What we can do is help as many as we can.

“We have to be an example for others to follow,” said the father of four. – December 3, 2020.