How do we truly tend to them?

I went to an orphanage a few days ago, and haven’t recalled the event until today over my usual cuppa tea. Oh, well, there have been a lot of things going around me lately, and I haven’t had the time to really sit down and give it a thought. But today I managed to have a breather and think of what concerns me sometimes- the way orphans live in an orphanage.

I’ve been visiting orphanage as a volunteer since last year for quite some time now, and having mingled with these children makes me feel so proud of them for being so strong, mentally and physically. Though I do not volunteer  on weekly basis, only fortnightly and yet the whole experience was truly humbling nevertheless.

Being a volunteer, there’s so many things that I learnt, helping out with their dishes and sorting out donations items to communicating with these children. I never blog about and put out the pictures of myself doing these volunteer work here  because I feel that the whole experience is quite personal, but today, I felt that I’ve been called to write about it, seeing how they are struggling in their daily lives and they are not improving.

Donations in the forms of money is still coming in, but I can’t really say it’s sufficient for their usage as the caretaker still need to go around asking for donations and struggles to raise funds. Donations in the forms of food and basic essentials is also still coming in, but they had reduce the amount of food they served to these poor children. I can imagine myself go hungry, but not these poor little things aging as young as toddlers to twelves years old.

One of the kids told me that she missed having chickens in her meal and it’s been quite some time the cook served it up to them. Her words hit me like a brick on my head. It stings, and I can’t do anything about it, as I’m not as rich as Princess Diana or something to be able to fork out a large sum of money for these unfortunate children. Hell, I’m even struggling to feed myself. The only thing I can give in this difficult times is my efforts and my energy. If I give money to them I believe I’ll go hungry as well.

 I went to ask the cook about their ‘reduced’ dishes, and as expected, she told me that they can no longer afford the luxury of meats and poultry as the price has skyrocketted. They had to reduce to the very basic of vegetarian diets for these children to fill their stomach so that they won’t have to starve. I was silence then, cursing silently at those VVIPs. While they claim that they ‘reduce’ their spendings, they still can afford to eat like a king, and while they have the power and influence to make lives for these unfortunate children better, they are busy politicking and trying to gain more and more power. Their thirst for power is neverending, don’t you think?

All these filthy rich bastards knows nothing of true charity. I only see them donating and doing charity strictly during the Muslim fasting month/during festivals. And, they are highly publicised. And they have the cheek to call their ‘good deeds’ are for the sake of charity. Well, if you ask me, I only recognize it as a publicity to ‘wash away their sins’.

The question here is, how do we truly tend to these poor children? How do we give them the key out of poverty? Donations may still go to the orphanage and they will still have to make do with what they receive, and nothing we do could change that. I believe that the keywords is EDUCATION. While we are donating money and hope that they won’t go hungry, we have forgotten that we should teach them so that they can get out of poverty and fend for themselves.

Most people who generously come forward for donations mostly will donate food and money, but none, I dare to say, almost none donate books or their knowledge. What’s wrong with all these people? Do they honestly think that money alone can settle all the problems and eradicate poverty?

These orphans cannot be competitive in acedemic terms as attending classes in schools alone is no longer sufficient in Malaysia. Teachers do not teach them fully during the schools hours. Tuition these days is deem necessary as during tuition, children are taught to tackle the examination questions and many more. How do these children compete with their peers whose parents constantly drill them with extra classes and revision books when they can’t even afford to pay for the fees?

While help in the form of financial aid is always welcome, but one should concentrate on bringing the poor and the disadvantaged OUT of poverty, not just take short term measure to ease their suffering. My other half and I have been teaching English and Computer subject to a certain orphanage near our home, but we found it not sufficient, as we are not experts. We are not trained to teach and make it efficient. I hope this article touched some hearts out there and somehow are called to come forward and donate some knowledge to these orphans, no matter where they are, and which orphanage. Trust me, seeing these children slowly excel ecademically is a reward beyond words and tax exemption, even.

Cleffairy: Give a a fish and I’ll cook  it and have it for my meal. Teach me how to fish, I will go fishing and make money out of it. 😛

7 comments

  1. KevinP says:

    You are a real charitable person la clef… I used to help out at an orphanage.. but have since found little time left for me to do my own ironing even!

    Its good to be in touch with reality… makes you appreciate what you have and count your blessings that you are far more luckier than many. Should send those BN monkeys to do such stuff more instead of behaving like one in the Parliament.

  2. cleffairy says:

    Those creeps… nothing we do can change their animalistic ways! Grrrzzzz

    You know, I believe that by doing good deeds, we’ll get good returns…it’s just a matter of time. But now, if we don’t help these poor kids, who will? By the looks of it, the government is doing nothing about it, and when they are doing something in ‘charity’ name…. there would be reporters everywhere! See also sick la…

    For me, I have no money to spare these kids, but… I can spare some time and share my knowledge with them. That’s the least I can do.

  3. pamina says:

    clef,

    u see…i have doubts abt paying zakat worrying if the money really do get to the needy. may i have the address of where you volunteer? a phone number perhaps? may be going to the source is a better way of paying zakat…

  4. cleffairy says:

    Lol, Sinatra… teach a man fishing and he will buy an ugly hat….I think he wun only buy an ugly hat, but will spend more time fishing than his family….seen a lot of hardcore fisher like that…my uncle included.

    Pamina, I volunteer at 2 place. One is at Brickfields, nearby La Salle&St. Theresa’s primary school, this one I just start a couple of month ago with my hubby.

    But if you want to pay zakat, you can go to another orphanage that I go to…actually the orphanage that I frequently volunteer is just nearby my house. It’s in Danau Kota/Setapak area, just opposite of some big mamak stall. You would recognize it, because this nearby where the late Nurin Jazlin Jazimin’s family live.

    I’m not sure of the exact address, because it’s just 5 minutes drive from where I live. Haha. It’s the Asrama Baitul Ummah Untuk Anak Yatim&Miskin. I don’t have their phone number,lol. Cuz if i wanna ask em something, I’ll just go there. If you want to know more, I’ll try to get the real address of it tomorrow and even snap a picture of the orphanage for you to see. LOL. I pass by there almost everyday.

    But if I’m not mistaken, this is their account:

    ASRAMA BAITUL UMMAH
    (Under Yayasan Aminul Ummah 207-33/99)
    RHB Bank Berhad Account: 2-62102-0000500-7

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