This year, in conjunction with the celebration of the Dragon year, Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Giza, Sunway Carnival and Sunway Putra Mall have all come together on a charity campaign called S.O.S (Some Of uS) to volunteer and help out at Rumah Caring Kajang.
I went as a BRAT (with a few other BRATs of course) and we met up at the Orange Entrance in Sunway Pyramid at around 8am. It was a Sunday.
The public, the staff and management of Sunway Pyramid donated goods for the home, which comprised of daily necessities like rice, Milo, toothbrushes, dishwashing liquid, body wash, diapers and etc.
We helped load all the stuff onto the bus and unloaded them when we reached our destination.
Persatuan Rumah Caring Kajang - made up of two double-storey terrace houses located in Taman Muhibbah, Kajang - manages an old folks’ home, home for single parent, orphans, down syndrome, disabled and drug rehab.
80% of the old folks’ are not married, and they are either sent to the home by associations, organisations, or the few Good Samaritans. Other than housing old folks’, Rumah Caring Kajang also cares for pregnant, single mothers who are in dire need of assistance. The home offers counseling and assists the mothers in looking for potential adopters for their babies too.
The home is very well-maintained, with a spacious compound to ease the mingling of the inmates. It currently houses 28 old folks’, with the oldest being 94 years old.
Getting to know the old folks.
The old folks’ at the home all carry a similar story with them - a heart-wrenching past.
One that stood out from the others would be “Zhang Dai Mui”. This cheerful and lively lady was put in the home by her son after she had a fall, and was told that it would only be for treatment. However, her son has never return to take her back, and it has been 3 years since.
Sad things aside, she greets anyone with a joyful spirit and you just can feel a happy aura emitting from her.
After getting settled down, the BRATs started work straight away, beginning with changing the bedsheets. This part of the house are where the women sleep.
At the other side of the house where the men sleep - the beds look neat after we're done!
The other volunteers painted the gates with bright yellow colour. Seems like fun to paint!
Here's Marcus trying to hang the CNY decorations ;)
A volunteer at work.
Ka Kay helping an old lady get up from her bed so we can change the bedsheets. She's kind of shy; always turning her head away from the camera.
Poor lady..
Busy at work.
The management of Rumah Caring Kajang is well-organised. The home has a medical advisor, who is in-charge of the old folks’ medical conditions with the help of medical staffs who come regularly to the home. Most of them are perfectly healthy, although a few of them are wheelchair-bound.
Here is a nurse from Sunway Medical Centre doing a medical check-up.
There was also a free haircut provided by Snips.
Told you she's really hyper. She always grabs random people and sing/dance with them, me not excluded :p
Almost done!
Angeline cleaning the cupboards outside under the hot sun..
Now the house has a CNY feel after putting up these decorations :)
Dancing again, haha!
Volunteers from Community Care Society of Malaysia were part of the community effort as well. The society, or with the brand name BeCause, is a newly initiated non-profit organisation that recruits people to spread the good deeds in today’s world by helping others, for example. The community project at Rumah Caring Kajang is their fourth project.
Mr. Ng Kok Heng (the one in black) is the president of BeCause, and his mission for this organisation is to promote virtues that benefit others, as well as creating awareness for their causes through social media.
BeCause mainly targets the youth because they are the future, while also having the ability and resources to make a difference in the world. This is why BeCause’s tagline is: I Make A Difference. The 49-year-old Ng believes that making an impact in our community today, by creating events and gathering volunteers through social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter can be powerful.
According to him, volunteers can benefit more than the people receiving help - through the experience they will gain. Ng said, “It’s important to help the old folks’ home but it’s even more important to get youngsters involved, so that they will learn to appreciate what they have.”
Interviewing the founder of Rumah Caring Kajang, Madam Wendy Yap. According to her, the home is a non-profit organization licensed by the Selangor state. She has been a social worker for the past 21 years, and feels the need to share the love to others.
Yap has accomplished quite a lot in the past years, by setting up homes for the old folks in various states across the country - even overseas in Myanmar.
Commenting on her achievements, the humble lady said, “Although I have opened many homes, but the most important thing is still to honour your parents. They took great care of us when we were young, so it is only right to take good care of them when they are old.”
During lunch time, a “loh sang” session was held for the old folks as a symbol of wishing them good luck - followed by a hearty meal of catered food. Then we helped distribute "angpows" (red packets) to the old folks, wishing them good health.
During lunch time, a “loh sang” session was held for the old folks as a symbol of wishing them good luck - followed by a hearty meal of catered food. Then we helped distribute "angpows" (red packets) to the old folks, wishing them good health.
Before leaving, Sunway Pyramid presented a mock cheque of RM15, 000 - RM10, 000 from the donations of the public and RM5, 000 from the management and staff of Sunway Pyramid. Patrons, contractors, suppliers and tenants of Sunway have also contributed. Lastly, the old folks’ were entertained with some singing and dancing; their jubilant smiles on their faces said it all.
The Director of Marketing of Sunway Shopping Malls, Ms. Phang Sau Lian (the lady in black), 49, says that the Sunway Group has a community campaign in conjunction with every festivity throughout the year - to help spread the cheer to people in need. They have helped other old folks’ home in the previous years, visiting different homes every year.
As CNY is approaching, the old folks’ usually feel lonely because there won’t be family reunions for them to look forward to. Therefore, S.O.S’s aim is to get volunteers to celebrate with the old folks’ so that they will feel loved and cared for. The mediums, through which S.O.S uses to spread awareness about these events to the public, are mainly through the Sunway Facebook page and their PR team.
Mr. Kevin Tan Gar Peng (the man in black), COO of Sunway Shopping Malls, says that this community work is part of their CSR (corporate social responsibilities) project which comprises of Business, Environment, and Community. The 53-year-old stresses that S.O.S is not about profit alone, and it is only satisfying to do things without any agenda.
Old folks’ home are generally difficult to get support from the society, unlike orphanages whereby the public can adopt the orphans and provide them with a better living environment. Because of that, Sunway Pyramid wants to educate young people to not abandon old folks’ and at the same time, realise the importance of respecting elderly parents.
Kevin’s message to the public is, “It is very wrong to throw old folks’ away just like that, since they went through a lot of difficulties to bring us up. It can happen to all of us one day too. Today’s society is an educated society, but I wonder - why are there still so many old folks’ being abandoned in homes like these?”
Group photo of the management and staff of Sunway Pyramid with Madam Wendy Yap.
Group photo of everyone!
Spot me? :p (Btw, a small article written by us BRATs plus some pictures came out in R.AGE)
Group photo of BRATs, from left: Tracy, Denielle, Angeline, Marcus, Yin Li, me, Ka Kay. (We got free aprons from S.O.S lol)
Continue reading if you're interested in joining BeCause:
Social media is a very powerful tool of communication in today’s generation, where almost everyone has a Facebook and/or Twitter account (and sometimes cannot live one day without it). In this time and age, we often use social media to make a statement, spread awareness about something, share an event etc.
You can join the team and be a volunteer for future projects by signing up at their website for updates. Actions speak louder than words; it’s time for us to be the cause in the world today, and make a difference in the life of people around us!
