15 October 2011 - We stumbled upon this Home by chance when we were in Kajang to shop for some technical stationery for elder son who is studying in a college there. Kajang is an unfamiliar territory for Hubby but his navigative skills manage to bring us into and out of Kajang town without much problem. On the way back, we bypassed this rather run-down looking Home with badly faded signboard just by the side of the road. We made a mental note to stop by the next time we are in town.
That “next time” happen to be a fortnight later…
View from the road, only the left half belongs to the Home
The Home's Entrance
29 October 2011 - The Home which has been an image on my mind finally had a name attached to it, Pusat Ribuan Kasih (Thousands of Love Care Centre). As it was an impromptu visit, we did not get to meet the Caretaker, all the kids and a few of the old folks as they had gone out for a Deepavali function. Staying behind were 7 elderly folks with mobility problems, 4 grannies resting in the porch and living area, and 3 grandpas resting in their room. However, we managed to make our acquaintance with a young Indian guy, who we found out was a former resident there and now helps out around the Home. He showed us around and we saw many pitiful sights around the Home. However, it was those worn out school shoes drying out in the sun which tugged at our heartstrings and ignited our desire to help these kids with their new school year needs such as uniforms, shoes and stationery.
There are many more pairs just like these….
With those images etched in my mind, I called up the Caretaker, Miss Kavitha, on the following Monday to find out more on the Home, especially on the kids' schooling needs. Preparing the kids for the new school year can be a yearly nightmare for parents but the burden is many times heavier on Homes. In the past years, Kavitha will prepare a list of the kids’ name, sex and age and seek sponsorship from friends and visitors for the uniforms and shoes. Due to her limitation in resources and contacts, this is a slow and tedious process. The Home will have 14 school-going kids next year, 1 in Kindergarten, 8 in Primary and 5 in Secondary. Based on the latest pricing obtained, the approximate cost to sponsor one pair of uniform and one pair of shoes for each kid is around RM65 to RM85. The total cost for all the 14 kids is estimated at RM1,000.
5 November 2011 - We decided to drop by the Home again and meet up with Kavitha. Upon learning that they are short on certain grocery items like rice, oil, Milo, tea, milk, sugar, we purchased them the night before and brought them along with us but we found out later that the “hole” to be plugged is bigger than we thought… The contents of their store room; few packets of instant mee, few packets of meehoon, a small sack of potatoes, onions, 4 cans of sardines, a can of half-used oil… wonder how long can all this feed 30 over kids and adults? We peeked into their fridge and the contents that greeted us were lots of eggs, few strands of wilted long beans, a quarter cabbage (going black), one stick of carrot, one brinjal and some cucumbers. This prompted us to go out and "stocked" up their fridge with some fresh vegetables which hopefully can last them a week. We also bought them a broom, a mop and a dustpan to replace the broken ones.
Kavitha briefed us that this Home was set up in Nov 2006 with 3 other friends who had since opted out of this venture. Luckily, one of her brothers stepped in and has been helping her out with the Home’s monthly rental of RM500 and minor expenses. This Home holds a Day-Care Licence only as it does not fulfill the requirements to apply for Welfare Home Licence, therefore they are unable to apply for welfare assistance and depend on contributions which trickles in inconsistently. Monthly expenses for this Home runs up to about RM3000 per month. As contributions are inadequate and inconsistent, Kavitha has to work part-time in home-nursing, a job that takes her away from the Home for about 4 hours each day.
This building which used to be a sales office-cum-storage area for a tiling company now bears the result of years of wear and tear. It has 3 rooms, one with 6 beds for the old men and some of the boys, another room with 5 double-decker beds and 2 single beds for the womenfolk and the girls. There is another small room behind the office which used to be occupied by Kavitha and another girl but due to the serious leaking recently, the room is now inhabitable. Worn-out mattresses are laid out in the living room and porch area at night for some of the boys to sleep in. Yes, the porch area…which by day, is a resting area for the kids and the elderly folks, doubling-up as the dining area during meal times and when night falls, this is the sleeping area for a few of the boys.
The following photos shows the different sleeping areas for the residents. Note the difference between the first two and the last two... The two bedrooms are the cheerier part of the Home and the result of noble efforts by a group of angels who made this possible by sponsoring the beds and giving the room a fresh coat of paint. Hopefully, more will come forward and put their magic touch on the other parts of the Home.
Pink for the Ladies and Girls
Blue for the Men and Boys
Due to lack of rooms, some sleep here...
Shockingly, they sleep here too...
The small kitchen is quite bare, with only a rice cooker and a gas stove with its broken wok support, definitely a hazard when cooking on it. A broken-down commercial refridgerator, few old cupboards and plastic storage drawers with missing or broken drawers occupy the living room. At one corner, are 6 study tables, generous gifts from a donor for the kids. Its only ventilation and light source comes from the main door and a side door, as it has no windows. Some of the lighting fixtures in the living area have been spoilt for some time as they cannot afford to pay for an electrician to fix it.
Note the piece of stone on the stove which is used to stabilise the wok...
Excluding Kavitha and her adopted 1 1/2 yr old daughter, this Home has 31 residents, 16 kids, out of which only 14 goes to school, 4 handicapped kids, 10 elderly folks and a 25-year-old homeless lady who looks after the Home and cooks for the residents when Kavitha is not around. Kavitha’s adopted daughter’s natural mother is a typical case of an innocent under-aged girl cheated and dumped by the boyfriend. With no place to go after giving birth, Kavitha took in both mother and baby. Unable to cope with being a single mother at a young age, the girl then gave up the baby to Kavitha for adoption.
Despite the hardship and objections from her family, Kavitha is determined to keep this Home. She has committed to purchase this building from the Owner and has signed the Sale and Purchase Agreement under the Home’s name about 2 years ago. To-date, Kavitha has managed to raise and paid RM130k for the building, through funds raised by friends and family, and her own savings. However, time is running short as she has to settle another RM20k by December. At 28, unmarried and with this Home as additional liability, Kavitha tells me that marriage is a near-impossible thing in her life. To her, this is her Home and the residents are her Family. She has her fair share of discouragement from family and friends on her choice in life, but she claim she has no regrets. In fact, she feels that her God does watch over her as she is able to maintain this Home so far despite difficulties and lack of fund. She believes that God sees her sincerity, which explains the occasional help that comes in from nowhere... like the group who sponsored the beds for the bedrooms and even painted it, another group who sponsored the 6 study tables, and another group who sponsored the cost to repair the leakage in the living room, not forgetting those generous souls who sponsored the TV, washing machine and recently, a set of computer. Kavitha herself did not seek them out and may not even know some of them personally. Some came upon hearing the Home’s plight from friends, some came by chance and decided to contribute but whatever reason they all came with one thing in common, BIG HEARTS OF GOLD.
Keeping our fingers crossed, we hope to be able to fulfill these kids’ school wish-list, put new uniforms on their backs, new shoes on their feet, smiles on their face and renewed confidence in society.
I am interested to know the location of this event and maybe some feedback.
ReplyDeleteConcern student who is interested to do a charity programme.