by Soroptimist International Yvonne Simpson

"On Monday April 25, I had the privilege of visiting Johor Bahru and  ‘The Kota Tinggi ABC School Project’.  President Lionel Sixtus invited me to venture across the Straits when she learned I was visiting Singapore. I was collected from my hotel at 8.30am by Zalina and we joined a dense queue of traffic to Malaysia. Luckily (or wisely) we avoided the peak traffic times and had an smooth and uneventful trip (although my heart did skip a beat when I couldn’t remember whether I had taken my passport out of the hotel safe… but I had it with me, so a sigh of relief).

Malaysia is not party to the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention and as a
result does not have a legislative and administrative framework to
address the needs of refugees. As all asylum-seekers and refugees are treated as irregular
migrants, and in the absence of any substantive engagement by the
authorities, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) remains the principal actor in providing
international protection. *Source UNHCR

The SI Johor Bahru members could see the challenges of the situation and the then President Rani Panadam approached the UNHCR to offer assistance. This was in 2007 and they were the first Malaysian group to offer support. A Memorandum of Understanding was developed and a school started. Today the club supports two schools – a total of 200 students, in addition to eight teachers in two locations.

 

Picture: Soroptimist International President Yvonne Simpson at the Kota Tinggi ABC School Project.

It was a pleasure  to visit the ‘Kota Tinggi ABC School Project’ and meet the principal Mr Tang Y Kuang, who is a key contributor to the success of the school. His quiet, respectful, caring, compassionate demeanour is reflected in the classroom. There is an air of respect. Education is valued and provided with dignity. The school day was four hours, so the children could return home to assist their families.

Picture: The Principal Mr Tang Y Kuang with Yvonne Simpson

We were delighted with a performance of songs and a gift of a picture that depicted the move from the ‘dark to light’ – symbolising the move from their old lives in Myanmar with the assistance of the UN and the Soroptimist club. The children expressed their hope to find a place where they could belong.

Hafizah, aged 15 who had attended the school for eight years, exemplified for me what this very special school offered. Hafizah helped serve us tea. She quietly engaged and shyly, but confidently engaged in conversation. Knowledge of the English language will assist her in finding a home and a future – either in Malaysia or a third country.

I thank my Soroptimist sisters from Jahor Bahru – Lionel Sixtus, Rani Panadam and Rani’s mother, Margaret Liew, Zalina Curran and Dr Maria Fernandez – for a wonderful day, for their passion, sense of fun and the sheer enjoyment I felt being with them. I will treasure the picture. It will be placed in the wall next to my computer at home to ensure that I stay grounded and focused on our mission to improve the lives of women and girls – and the value of our theme:

Educate to Lead"

by Yvonne Simpson, SI President  2015 – 2017