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TAWAU: A 55-year-old single mother of four broke down in tears after receiving the keys to a new home she never imagined owning, just ahead of Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Norhayati Awang Aming described the house as the most special gift for her family this year after being selected as the second recipient in Tawau under the Projek Bantuan Mesra Rakyat (BMR) by Sabah Electricity (SE).

The symbolic handover of a replica key was officiated by Tawau MP and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Lo Su Fui, accompanied by SE Chairman Saadiah Aziz, SE Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mohd Yaakob Jaafar and SE Chief Corporate Communications Officer Lisa Wan Siew Han at Kampung Ranggu on Friday.

Norhayati said she was grateful that her three-year wait ended after she “tried her luck” by submitting an application at the Tawau MP’s office, adding that she previously rented and stayed with relatives for about RM150 a month while supporting her family through childcare and small-scale trading following her husband’s death in 2015.

Saadiah said the RM80,000 house was among those built under SE’s CSR-based BMR programme launched in 2020, which has benefited over 2,000 needy individuals across Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan, with RM5.2 million spent from 2023 to 2025 on assistance including homes, dialysis machines and school equipment, while two more houses are planned this year in Sandakan and Kota Marudu.