George and Cindy at the Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Centre Melaka
Last Sunday, Kok-Liang, Tracy, Ah-Seong, Cindy and I went to the Rumah Seri Kenangan Cheng old folks home, Rumah Budak Laki-Laki Tun Abdul Aziz (boys home), and Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Centre Melaka in Bukit Baru. First we went to the old folks home and donated the adult diapers and blankets which we bought the day before. We didn’t spend much time after at the centre then we drove to the boys’ home in Durian Daun in the hope that we could understand more of the centre.
We were welcomed by the centre’s assistant community welfare officer, Miss Nor Aziah Binti Rahaman. Most of the boys were away for a trip to Kedah. So we could only have a short chat with Miss Nor Aziah. We came to understand that the centre which consists of 50 boys from poor families is fully funded by government. Basically, the financial support is sufficient to cover the boys’ daily living costs including accommodation and study environment, clothing, meals, daily necessities and pocket money. In short the centre does not require much donation from the public.
After leaving the boys home, Kok-Liang thought it would be worthwhile to bring us to go the handicapped and mentally disabled children centre. This would also be the first time for Ah-Seong, Cindy and Tracy to visit this centre. When we arrived, we were greeted by Amy, a kind-hearted senior nurse who has been working there for years, and she took us for a tour of the home.
I was happy as I met the toddler with Down syndrome again whom I mentioned in my previous post. Amy told me the boy had just had a heart surgery not long ago and he was in good and healthy condition. Amy told us he was naughty and active as he was always trying to escape from the baby bed. Nevertheless, the boy stood by the wooden crib when he saw us and felt excited and happy.
Amy then introduced George, a six year-old autistic child who was left there by his parents. The boy was lonely and sitting at the couch by himself. When Cindy saw the cute little boy, she spontaneously sat beside her and started chatting with him. He didn’t speak at all but he seemed attracted to Cindy’s mobile phone. He grabbed and toyed with the phone. And George was really a smart boy as he could hum the song he listened once of Cindy’s phone.
It was sad to learn about George’s background, and he seemed very sad and depressed when we were leaving the centre which made us feel even more heart-broken especially Cindy. After we left the centre, I asked Cindy how she felt of her first experience of the handicapped and mentally disabled children center, she replied with silent tears. I could tell she has a compassionate heart towards the less fortunate ones especially George.
We felt really lucky and contented after visiting the three homes. This certainly would not be our last trip, we have decided to do another visit shortly to the centres. And I felt really pleased and inspired when Amy told us that some students from the Multimedia University would always visit in group to the centre and volunteer to help cleaning the centre and take care of the patients. I hope that we could do the same meaningful thing.
The Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Centre Melaka in Bukit Baru is a public funded welfare centre and requires plenty of support from the public to maintain the centre. We sincerely hope that readers of this post could pay a visit or donate something to the centre. I’ll post up a list soon of what the centre requires.
Thanks to my fellow friends for your company and support. May all beings be happy. Some photos I took after the jump:
