From a young age Paul Raj had an innate desire to reach out to fellow humans. Even in hardship, when he had nothing and slept on the floor without mattress, he would give what ever he had. The desire to help was deep rooted.

“My mom used to say that there is a Gandhi in the house.”

Paul Raj attributes his love for helping people to his faith in God. He kept insisting to 50faces that he is simply following his heart and does not seek personal glory. However he decided to share his story in the hope that more people would be inspired and come forward to help others in need.

Paul Raj was born in Malaysia and came to Singapore in 1960 in his teens. Living with his mom and 8 siblings, sometimes he had to go without food. Life was tough but he was determined to get ahead especially after his marriage.

“I used to work from dawn to dusk. I won’t come home.”

Paul has never put his money in the bank. The balance after taking care of his family goes into charity work. The list of people he has helped is a long one. While he works with the church a lot, Paul is willing to go the extra mile to help people.

“I gave whatever God gave me to the needy.”

Charity and giving is so much a part of Paul’s life that, when it came to his 70th birthday celebration, he did not want a grand function with just his family and friends. His wish was for his birthday to be a special occasion for many to remember.

“To get such well-wishes was really special.”

He has the blessing of people across the globe. His acts of kindness have been numerous in number and counting. For instance, he sends small amounts of money every month to needy children in Malaysia and India to fund their education. He also travels to remote villages in Batam with his friends where they help to build better toilet facilities in the bid to alleviate the living conditions there. He also occasionally visits the slums in India to provide the people there with clean blankets, clothing etc, which he had gathered from donors.

On top of these, Paul also brings his grandchildren on his mission trips to teach them the sufferings of the less fortunate and how one should learn to appreciate what one has. He is proud to say that his son and daughter are always supportive although his wife sometimes has some apprehensions.

“Instead of thinking about myself, I placed others’ needs before my own.”

Paul is hardly taking a break even at this age. He is currently busy trying to get an orphanage started in India on top of the regular charity work that he does through the church and on his own accord. He hopes that sharing the work he has done will touch someone to step forward.

“Share your happiness with others by helping them.”