WISMA Harapan, or the Selangor and Federal Territory Association for the Mentally Handicapped (SAMH), was founded by D.R. Daniels and a group of concerned parents.
They needed a place for their intellectually disabled children and adults. With sponsorship from the Rotary Club of Klang and Swettenham, they set up SAMH in 1964 as a non-profit non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Today, SAMH operates in three buildings – Wisma Harapan, Klang Special School and the Jinjang North Special School. Around 300 children and adults attend various programmes ranging from Early Intervention to the Sheltered Workshop. It is also where adults with special needs are trained and work on contract jobs, receiving an allowance from the government for their work.
SAMH’s very existence is at stake as they struggle to make ends meet. The pandemic has shaved off a large number of donations, leaving only five months' worth of savings in the bank. Indeed, according to Deputy President Baharuddin Abu Kassim, who has served in SAMH for more than 30 years, SAMH is in dire need of public donations.
“SAMH is the earliest NGO for special needs. Before we had more branches and one of our activities was to provide training to other special needs NGO teachers. We were doing so from 1982 to 2007, but had to stop the classes due to lack of funding," said Baharuddin.
"Today we face the greatest threat of all. Our funds are down to its lowest and we had to cut the allowances of teaching staff. The government's grant has been reduced over the years. In 2019, we received only the grant for the special children’s allowances," explained Baharuddin.
With the movement control order (MCO), all fundraising activities have come to a halt. For this purpose, SAMH would hold Flag Day, Charity Bazaars and Fundraising Dinners organised by The Royal Patron for SAMH, DYMM Tengku Permaisuri Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin Abdul Rahman.
“The cost of running SAMH per year is RM2.2 million. This includes salaries and overheads. But for 2020, we raised only RM200,000, a mere trickle compared to previous years. We hope the public will come to our aid for 2021," said Baharuddin.
Teacher Jacob Mathew, 54, has spent most of his adult life devoted to helping abused and neglected children from the ages of five and 17 years. He is currently chairman of the Management Committee of Rumah Hope, in Petaling Jaya. He and his team oversee 54 children from all cultural denominations with 12 full-time caregivers. Over the years, many Rumah Hope residents have grown up into successful adults. They have gained entry into places of training and even university to complete their education.
“The children who come to us need a lot of care, attention and love as they have suffered terribly in their own homes. They need a sanctuary and to be able to continue their studies so they can have a future for themselves,” said Jacob.
Currently, the eldest child resident is studying Accountancy at Sunway on a full-time scholarship. Two other residents have joined Montfort Girls Home to undergo a culinary training course.
Unfortunately, the pandemic according to Jacob has struck them hard financially. The home needs an income of RM35,000 to RM40,000 to care for the children, their schooling, pocket money and the staff's salaries, plus utility bills. Rumah Hope is now down to receiving only RM1,000 per month worth of donations. With the youngest child at Rumah Hope being six years and the eldest 19 years old, the caregivers have their hands full. The kitchen provides meals with a full-time cook.
“At the moment, we do receive a grant of RM85,000 from the government. But expenses are high and we rely on public donations to give these children the chance of a better life. We hope the public will assist us this year as we are now dipping into our savings to pay the bills," said Jacob.
Things are no better at the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA). Ranjit Kaur, president and chief executive officer, is struggling to ensure there are enough funds to continue its work.
“BCWA was founded in 1986 by medical specialists who realised the need for peer support for women with breast cancer. Among the services provided are peer counselling, information on self-management after breast cancer, affordable mastectomy bras, wigs, training of nurses for early detection and our community-based outreach programme," said Ranjit.
According to Ranjit, fundraising activities were put on hold because of the pandemic. With great difficulty and planning, RM550,000 in 2020 was raised. This paled in comparison to 2019 when the community donated more than RM1,000,000 to BCWA. This shortfall meant the full range of services offered by BCWA could not be offered. She hopes that 2021 will prove to be a better year.
Independent Pet Adoption Network, founded by Sherrina Krishnan and Catherine Leyow, face similar difficulties. When they found their funds drying up, they decided to come up with other ways of reaching out to the public for funds. They compiled hundreds of photos of cats for publication into an undated calendar.
Datin Paduka Khatijah Sulieman, president of the Malaysian Council For Rehabilitation (MCR), also runs Cheshire Home. She said MCR was established in 1973, where the vision was "Full participation and Equal Opportunities for “persons with disabilities”."
“We desperately need money for our projects such as Abilimpics Competitions, especially to compete in Moscow, Russia in 2022. We have been competing from 1985 on skills competition for persons with disabilities. Normally, we receive sponsorship as government support is nominal. Our disabled persons represent Malaysia every four years annually overseas,” said Khatijah.
The pandemic has negatively hit NGOs. They provide social and other valuable services which the government is unable to provide. Currently, no recognition has been given to their financial woes. In many Western and Asian countries, such as Japan, Taiwan and Korea, the needs of marginalised groups are fully supported by the government.
More should be done to assist NGOs during these difficult times. Maybe a task force could be set up by the government, as over the years thousands of Malaysians have benefitted from the work of NGOs such as these, in Malaysia. – The Vibes, January 3, 2021
