During one of dear Hubby’s evening drive to familiarise himself with his new work area, he decided to drop by this Home in Klang with some cash donation. The signboard outside this Home says “Padmasambhava Children Loving Association” (PCLA), but it should be aptly named “Happy Paradise” for the orphans residing there.
Set up and managed by a Buddhist nun, Sister Ani, with the help of her mother, brother and other volunteer single mothers, this Home houses around 37 kids, mainly Chinese and a few Indians. Most of them are orphans, some are just abandoned by their parents due to hardship and other reasons. PCLA takes them all in, with open arms, open hearts and care for them with love, providing them a homely atmosphere instead of imposing a strict regime on them. They are allowed to grow up as other kids, doing things in their own time and pace, the younger kids enjoying their childhood freedom, the older kids being taught to help out with the housework and cooking. The only rule which they must adhere to strictly is bedtime, all must be in bed by 10pm.
On arrival, Hubby was greeted by Sister Ani’s mother, who insisted on being called “Popo” (grandmother in Chinese), a jovial lady who chatted with Hubby like old friends. After handing over the donation to Popo, Hubby expressed his intention to bring us over to visit the Home with KFC treat for the kids. Popo promptly suggested the coming Saturday and further informed Hubby of the kids’ liking for whipped potatoes and also a few kids’ allergy to chicken.
So, on the following Saturday, armed with KFC Barrels, Nuggets, lots of whipped potatoes and Alaskan Fish Burgers (for the kids with allergic condition), which we pre-ordered from KFC Setia Alam, we headed to PCLA with both our sons and arrived before lunch. The KFC treats were “co-sponsored” by three generous boys, my sons, who each contributed RM50 out of their savings for this. When we arrived, some of the kids were having late breakfast, another of their favourite, nasi lemak. PCLA is fortunate to be situated in a community where compassion dwells. Kind-hearted hawkers nearby tend to bring over their surplus food. Bread and cakes for breakfast are also sent over by other donors quite regularly.
The younger kids were playing in groups, some doing colouring, some watching TV, some just running around. The school-going kids were busy washing their school shoes.
This time we were given a more thorough introduction on PCLA and its other activities by Miss Angel, a full-time volunteer at this Home. We were informed that due to the generosity of donors within the community and surrounding areas, PCLA received more than adequate groceries such as rice, oil, biscuits etc, which they will in turn channel the surplus to the poor and needy through their monthly Feeding Program which is held every 3rd Saturday of the month at their premise. They have a list of recipients which is vetted through stringently and monitored regularly to ensure that there is no abuse of their program which could deprive others who are genuinely in need. On that particular Saturday, PCLA will also cook and provide vegetarian meals to the recipients when they come to collect their food parcel.
However, the abundance only applies to dry grocery mentioned above whereas fresh grocery such as vegetables, poultry and fish are sadly lacking. Therefore, they buy the vegetables on their own from the nearby market but due to cost constraint, they can only splurge on fish and chicken occasionally. Other items constantly needed by PCLA are the stationery items, especially exercise books, which we plan to fulfill on our next visit.
We bid farewell soon after lunch, our hearts carrying mixed emotions…sadness at these kids’ plight for ending up in a Home, but looking further, compared to those kids abandoned out on the streets or living in poor condition, these kids at PCLA (or any other Homes) are by far much luckier. At least they have a decent roof over their heads, decents meals to satisfy their hunger, opportunity to go to school and well looked after when they are sick. We are glad that PCLA is doing a great job in fulfilling this and much more. PCLA not only provides them with a place to call Home, but also a Family with a loving Mother (Sister Ani), a doting Grandmother (Popo), Aunties (volunteers) and Siblings. To these fortunate kids, PCLA is their own Happy Paradise…
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