Stories

Friday morning, just before the sun fully stretched over Felda Bersia, Perak, Malaysia twelve individuals gathered in As-Syuhada Mosque. It was a scene that played out every week - women adjusting their headscarves, a lone man finding his spot, the quiet anticipation before their regular religious class. But this time, something was different.

At Felda Bersia Health Clinic, we have seen how conversations about obesity often feel like walls rather than bridges. People are told to eat less, move more, as if it were that simple. Advice comes like commands, detached from real lives, real struggles, real routines. We knew something had to change. So we did something different for World Obesity Day this year. Instead of calling people into a clinic, we met them in their space, in their time. Right before their Friday religious class, in a place where discipline and devotion are already deeply ingrained, we introduced a different kind of reflection - one that had nothing to do with weight loss targets or restrictive meal plans. We spoke about choices that last beyond Ramadan, beyond one month of self-restraint. Not just about what to eat for suhoor, but why it matters. Not just about whether it’s okay to exercise while fasting, but how movement is an act of honoring the body. Not just about avoiding excess during iftar, but breaking the cycle of overcompensation and guilt. It was simple, almost too simple. There were no big speeches, no overwhelming facts. Just quiet nods, small realizations. And maybe that’s where change truly begins - not in dramatic overhauls, but in moments like these.

At Felda Bersia Health Clinic, we are not just treating obesity. We are changing the way we talk about it. And maybe, in this small corner of the world, this Friday morning was the first step toward something bigger.