COMMUNITY WORK

SHELTER provides food and financial aid to families. Its purpose is to preserve the family unit by providing the basic needs for the children such as food, financial assistance for tuition fees, schools fees, school bus expenses, etc. We believe that poverty should never be the reason to remove a child from concerned and loving parents. By providing "on-site" assistance to the parents, we hope that the assistance will filter down and benefit the children.

All our cases are generally referred to us by the general public. On hearing of a particular need, we would normally evaluate the case carefully and assess how we can effectively help the family. The focus is always on the children - mainly the needs of parents related to their children's education and well-being.

COMMUNITY TESTIMONIALS

LIFE IN A "PAPERLESS" WORLD

For most girls, life at 18 means college and friends but not for Saras (not her real name). At 18 she has a child and lives with her husband Vijayakumar, his aged parents and 2 of his younger siblings aged 12 and 8. They live in a ramshackle hut in Kampong Cahaya which has no running water, thick undergrowth and surrounded by stagnant water which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Water is sourced from a well nearby. Her husband Vijayakumar is an odd job worker and earns about RM300 to RM400 monthly of which RM150 goes for rental. To add to her malady neither she nor her baby, have birth certificates or any other form of identification. In fact this seems to be the common problem for most of the inhabitants of this village which consists of about six families in total. All their neighbours have left for low cost dwellings nearby but these families have been left behind because of their lack of identification papers.

SHELTER Community Services staff came to know of their plight which was highlighted in the Tamil newspaper and visited them. SHELTER has now undertaken the task of obtaining birth certificates and identification cards for all of the residents and is providing monthly food aid to 4 of the families. With this Saras and the other families will be helped, thanks to SHELTER’s Community Services.

A WIDOW'S WOE

Madam Alice (not her real name) 60, lost her husband after a prolonged illness. Left with no property and no income she and her daughter Lily, 15 continue to live in a dilapidated shack in the Sentul squatter area which is home to them. They live from day to day depending on aid from neighbours and good Samaritans. At her age no one will employ her so she collects old newspapers and discarded cans to sell from which she earns a meagre RM50-RM60 per month. Her elderly brother who himself is ill sometimes extends her RM100 whenever he is able. She came to SHELTER for help and support for her school going daughter. SHELTER’s subsequent home visit uncovered her tragic state of living. The surrounding is a haven for drug addicts and stray dogs. It also floods whenever there’s a heavy downpour and hence the house is constantly damp and musty and teeming with mosquitoes. To add to her woes she met with an accident which has left her with a bad arm.

SHELTER has supported her with monthly food aid and occasional financial aid.