A group of Malaysians have put together their time and skills to launch an online memorial dedicated to honouring the memories of those killed by the COVID-19 virus. The site began taking submissions on 30 August and when it launched on Malaysia Day, it already had hundreds of memorials.
COVID-19 Memorial Malaysia begins life as a personal project by journalist Aidila Razak back in August, who reached out on Twitter for volunteers with web designing skills. Within days, she said that there were dozens of people who were keen to collaborate with her and provide funding for the website.
The COVID-19 pandemic did not only claim thousands of lives; for loved ones who survived, life is forever changed. Share your stories and memories with us, so we will always remember.
The non-profit is wholly run by volunteers and even features artwork contributed by local artists. The memorials are sourced from the news, public information, public social media posts, and submissions by those who lost loved ones. Each one contains information on how, when, and where they died, as well as short paragraphs of who they were and who they left behind. Memorials submitted without photos use the website’s artwork.
Individual memorials also have their own “tribute” section, where those who knew the deceased can write a public tribute to express what the person meant to them. The online memorial strives to be inclusive towards those with certain disabilities, such as a toggle to turn on a dyslexic friendly font. In the submission form, they also ask users to describe the pictures of their loved ones for the sake of those who may have vision impairment.
Alongside Aidila Razak, those who worked to build the COVID-19 Memorial Malaysia are Afrie Irham, Alif Firdaus, Amirul Abu, Amy Amirah, Bryan Tan, Chiang Yi (CY), Danial Haikal, Eshaan Menon, Farul Haziq, Jackie Koh, James Lee, Jeyprakash, Khairil Zhafri, Ku Mudrikah, Luqman Rom, Mieza Isa, Mujahid Anuar, Rohaizad Raffe, Saiful Aazizi, Shiuh Jer, and Veshalini Naidu.
Up till 11:59 PM yesterday, 22,355 people in Malaysia have died due to the virus according to the national COVID-19 statistics website, COVIDNOW. If you wish to submit a memorial for someone you lost due to COVID-19, you can find the link on their homepage. As for artists who want to contribute artwork, you may email them.
(Source: COVID-19 Memorial Malaysia)
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