By Pramod Prabhakaran
Hezron Jeremiah Onyango, a Kenyan expatriate, is now a hero among his colleagues at InterContinental Doha The City.
This laundry attendant donated one month’s salary to a fundraiser to support the families of workers from the Philippines who was affected by the devastating typhoon Haiyan.
According to the 24-year-old, it was his upbringing in Nairobi that inspired him to help others as he can empathise with those in need.
“My closest friend and colleague had a young wife and two babies in the Philippines. He along with several other team members at the hotel and their families suffered great losses because of the storm. I felt I had to do everything I could to help,” he said.
According to his manager, he’s known for helping people - professionally and personally.
“Handling laundry is a very important aspect of the overall service we provide to our guests and I can always count on Hezron to get the job done,” said Executive Housekeeper Prabhat Shukla. “In addition, there are countless incidences in which Hezron has gone above and beyond the call of duty. We are fortunate to have him as part of our team.”
In recognition of his act, Onyango was honoured with runner-up award in the Unsung Hero category at the recent Hotelier Middle East Awards held in Dubai.
The Hotelier Middle East Awards reward the often-unrecognised individuals. They give those back-of-house heroes that so often go unnoticed their chance to shine, and bask in the glory bestowed upon them by their peers.
“We are so proud of Onyango and this well-deserved achievement,” said Pascal Eggerstedt, general manager of the hotel. “He never calls attention to his good deeds. In fact, we would have never even known about his generous donation if the accounts team hadn’t alerted us.”
Onyango didn’t mention about his donation to anyone. The news spread only when his payroll supervisor thought Onyango had made a mistake and checked with him about the amount. “I didn’t really want to attract attention. I just wanted to help someone, not achieve anything for myself,” Onyango said.
“We did not have a lot of money growing up. I was raised in a very impoverished area of Nairobi yet my mother was always very charitable and insisted on helping others. I think I am the same way and when I see people in need I can relate so that also makes me want to help,” he added.
A passionate football player, Hezron got his first taste of hospitality in 2011 when he joined Diani Reef Hotel in Mombasa before moving to Qatar in 2012 to join InterContinental Doha The City.
Joanna Mae Montero works in the Housekeeping Department and her family lives in Daanbantayan, in Cebu province, which was badly hit by Haiyan.
“Learning that our tiny house was completely devastated by the storm was really hard to take. But that’s when our hotel colleagues came together to help us and just getting that support gives you strength. I cannot thank Onyango enough for the sacrifice he made to donate his entire month’s salary. We have been able to rebuild our house thanks to the help of Hezron and others who gave so generously.”The Peninsula
