KUALA LUMPUR: On a hot and humid recent Sunday evening at Kuala Lumpur's Central Market, hundreds of people weave through crowded stalls selling an array of goods such as clothes, souvenirs, food and drinks. 

Teeming with tour buses, the area buzzed as visitors searched for authentic Malaysian handicrafts and artworks to bring home. The back-and-forth of prices of goods echoed through the halls of the historic market - located right in the heart of Malaysia’s capital - as buyers bargained with shopkeepers. 

Yet a stark contrast to the vibrant scene could be seen just on the fringe of the market's shadowed alleyways, where homeless people slept on cardboards or sat listlessly on benches watching those passing through the area.

Amid this contrast, a beacon of compassion emerges as a group of volunteers distribute warm meals, bottles of water, fruits, and soap among other things to the homeless.

One of these volunteers was Criseldo Animo, a domestic worker from the province of Mindanao in southern Philippines. 

When distributing the essentials to the homeless, Animo who has worked in Malaysia for 12 years told CNA that she could only try and put herself in the shoes of those she was helping. 

“I feel happy and blessed that I am able to make a slight difference,” Animo, who is in her 60s, said, adding that she plans to continue the volunteer work once she returns to the Philippines, where she noted that the poverty rate is worse as compared to Malaysia’s.  

On this particular Sunday, the single mother of three had walked for several kilometres to help distribute food and drinks to those in need in downtown Kuala Lumpur in the blistering heat. 

Animo is a me...