Soroptimist International President Ann Garvie is currently in Malaysia to attend the SI South West Pacific Federation Conference of Clubs (2-4 May 2014). In this week’s SoroptiVoice blog post, she writes about some of the Club projects that she has visited during her trip.

I have had
the privilege to visit three exceptional Club projects in Malaysia in the past
three days, thanks to Indira, National Representative of Malaysia and Nora, SI
Region President of Malaysia. The projects, by the Soroptimist International Clubs of Damansara, Ipoh and Seremban each illustrated the fulfilment of SI
focus Educate to Lead: Educate, Empower, Enable.

 

Image: Ann visits tailoring and sewing class, part of SI Damansara’s skills training programme

SI of
Damansara in partnership with the YWCA Kuala Lumpur Vocational Training Centre, is
empowering economically disadvantaged women and girls through skills training;
in sewing and tailoring, kindergarten teaching, culinary skills and baking, health care, hairdressing, beauty therapy, language and computing skills.The Life Skills 4 Youth Work Readiness Programme objective is to prepare the
economically disadvantaged and those who are struggling with their academic studies to be ready for work. The chief
sponsor of the programme is J P Morgan.

 

Image: Ann experiences first-hand the beauty therapy skills developed by SI Damansara’s training programme!

Members of
SI of Damansara support the partnership by providing additional training in
reading and speaking, intensive
week long courses and to quote Nora, Region President, the course generates “mice
into lions” enhancing students self-confidence, self-esteem and their ability
to articulate and negotiate. To quote the
course mottos “Failure is an
instrumental point of every success” and “Learning transforms Lives”.

SI Ipoh’s
Edufun Centre is approximately three hours, by train, from Kuala Lumpur. The
centre is managed and funded entirely by the members of SI Ipoh. The Club has
an elected Board of Management, responsible for the implementation of the
business plan and after-school activity five days per week for 30
children, aged 5 to 15 years; 25 girls and 5 boys. The centre was
launched in 2012 to cater for impoverished families, who were unable to care
appropriately for their children. It is not uncommon for 7 year old girls to have to clean, wash
and undertake arduous domestic chores for their families on a daily basis.
As a consequence the health of the child is compromised and their education
neglected.

 

Image: Children at SI Ipoh’s Edufun Centre (Photo by Educate, Exchange, Connection Ambassador Supriya Dunham)

The Club
provides academic, social, psychological and emotional support for the children,
a diverse ethnic and religious group, who on arrival are shy, withdrawn,
lacking in confidence and have minimal communication skills. The Club is
informally supported by a social worker, who is trusted by this most deprived
community. By funding a teacher the children are taught after school and their self-esteem
and confidence evolves, as they are nurtured by the project.

The project
is costly in terms of rent of the property, salaries, provisions and materials.
The volunteer input from Club members is invaluable and is critical in the
success of this “hands on” Club project. High powered
fund raising is a critical component of the Club’s success in securing
sponsorship. The Club has ambition and is totally aware that one location is
inadequate, in terms of the needs of the community, which is beset by violence,
crime and hardship.

On leaving the project with Club President Lanka and Club members, we witnessed the the arrival
of the police to stop and search a young man suspected of the possession of
drugs, commonplace within this community. Children as young as 7 years,
apparently take drugs, it is the norm. This illustrated and highlighted to me
just how vulnerable and fragile the community is, and also how
brave the Club members are. They have
entered a very difficult community, have gained and commanded respect and have
achieved so much for the sustained well-being of the children. The
Club also employs and empowers a single mum to conduct sewing and
tailoring skills training programmes for other mothers, many of whose
children are part of the project.

SI of
Seremban is approximately one and a half hours drive from Kuala Lumpur (dependent
upon traffic!!). The Club supports three projects on an ongoing basis.

The first is a local home for the
care of elderly, mentally ill or physically disabled residents with
no families, run by a husband and wife team. The Club

provide food,
visit the residents and support the care team with professional support and advice, for example the application for welfare
benefit which is a complex process.

Another
local complex is sponsored and provided by an exceptionally generous donor, the Divine
Life Society founded in 1953, 50 years ago, the motto “Be Good – Do Good”.  SI Seremban supports a kindergarten for pre-school children from single parent and
low income families. The school has
extended the school day and back to back classes are provided, so that the
needs of the children are met in this deprived area. The Club have decorated each class room with a different theme by painting murals, for example Winnie
the Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore. They
also support the teaching staff given their professional expertise and the
complex needs of the local community.

The final
complex was a centre run by the Government focussing on the needs of women and
girls in partnership with several Non-Governmental Organisations, Soroptimist
International of Seremban being one of the partners. A safe and
comfortable environment is provided for teenagers after school, a safe haven
for the continuation of the school work programme, and this includes a craft
programme run by an outstanding Club member.

In addition
the Clubs were most generous in their hospitality; we were given lunch and dinner in very special
locations including the Temple of Fine Arts Jin Berhala, on the lakeside hosted by President Lee Hoon and members of SI Bangsar and in the centre in Ipoh with the children and Club members, where we enjoyed a
fantastic celebration cake.

Press interviews
were arranged by SISWP President Siew Yong and members of the Region of Malaysia and
included an interview with two local journalists and with a writer for Inspire Magazine. 

I applaud
the three Clubs, their project work is outstanding and in particular the grassroots, hands on work by Club members week in and week out. The excitement of the day
was visible on the children’s faces and showcased in their singing in four
different languages and their dancing, yes they have rhythm and hope for the
future which otherwise would never have touched their lives.                   

Finally I
thank President Siew Yong and the members of SI Malaysia Region for organising
this wonderful opportunity for me to visit so many and varied projects, before the South West Pacific Federation’s Conference of Clubs in
Kuching.