|
"Driven by an unselfish love"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(20/05/07)
Michael Chow, director, Faith Helping Centre (Kuala Lumpur)
AFTER 13 years of running the Faith Helping Centre, Chow has been tagged by
some as being a saw chai (foolish man) for continuing to provide shelter for
people living with HIV/AIDS.
“Some people ask me why I want to do it,” he said with a chuckle.
But Chow lives by the motto that he has set for anyone who wants to work
with him: 2C 1L, which stands for care, commitment and love.
“They are caregivers. They have to have passion,” he said.
Chow's passion has led him to shelter about 400 people over the years in a
two-house centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Before accepting anyone, he said, they conduct a thorough interview with the
person and also try to convince their family members to look after them.
“If the family insists on getting them to stay, then we charge them,” he
said.
The charge, which he sets at RM400 monthly but can vary, is a “catch” so
that families do not treat his centre as a dumping ground for their sick
relatives.
When they are stable and healthy, they need to go back to their relatives,
Chow said.
“This is to give other people a chance to stay here.”
The duration of stay depends on the condition of the person, whom he refers
to as “client”. Services given include guidance on how to take their
medication, trips to the hospital for check-ups and counselling. Each house
can take in about seven people.
Chow does the first “reuniting” attempt after three months when the client
has stabilised. But they normally leave after six months.
Chow is assisted by volunteers and practises the “family” concept where
everyone takes care of and encourages each other.
Zahrain Zulkifly and Zaimah Husin, son-and-mother team, Pertubuhan
Masyarakat Prihatin (Kelantan)
“I love this job. This shelter is my life. Without it, I have no life,”
declared 27-year-old Zahrain.
“When I help them, I feel happy and that I have been successful. I feel that
I am doing the right thing.”
Pertubuhan Masyarakat Prihatin is a shelter for single mothers who were
infected by their husbands, and for the poor and aged between 18 and 45.
It is open to both Muslim and non-Muslim women.
They can take in up to 20 people (or five families) at one time, and they
can stay for about three months during which they are given counselling
(emotional and on medication) and taught vocational skills. Efforts are also
made to reconcile them with their family members.
There are currently 350 people on their registry.
If the person has nowhere to turn to, they would help them set up house with
the Welfare Department’s help, Zahrain said.
Pride was evident in his voice as he related how vocational skills such as
making frozen food, handicraft or clothes have helped the women get on their
feet again.
“They always come to us layu (almost lifeless) because they are in shock and
have been rejected. They want to die,” he said.
“But we give them emotional and spiritual support.”
He said he finds it easier to locate women who need help, as his mother
Zaimah is a HIV/AIDS counsellor at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in
Kota Baru.
They also have a peer support group every Tuesday and Zaimah provides
counselling at the shelter twice a week.
Zaimah is also proud to note that the shelter is probably the only one
donated by a state Health Ministry department.
Located in Bachok, the shelter, said Zahrain, is only a few metres away from
the beach.
Wan Hava Wan Hussin, supervisor, Rumah Solehah (Kuala Lumpur)
Fondly referred to as Mak Wan, this spunky lady has been running Rumah
Solehah for the past nine years and looks after women and children.
The shelter's objective, she said, is to focus on recovering through
counselling and spiritual help so that the women can face the stigma and
discrimination upon leaving.
Their target is to have clients back on their feet within six months to a
year but they are allowed to extend their stay if they feel reluctant to
leave.
“We have one lady who came back and is still living with us. She did go back
to her kampung but she did not feel welcome there,” she said.
The shelter can take in about six adults and more than 20 children.
“It is not difficult to run a shelter. The main objective is to be able to
provide the facilities,” she said.
Women at Rumah Solehah are given services such as counselling, religious
classes and vocational training. They are also given assistance in finding
jobs.
The women, she said, are also encouraged to help newly diagnosed clients and
attend dialogues with nurses and doctors.
“It makes them feel like they have a family institution. They learn how to
become future champions for others in the same situation. The awareness
programmes they go for make them brave enough to share their experiences.”
Wan Hava has lost 16 adults through the years, and she said it was difficult
to bury those whose family did not want to claim the body.
“It is a tough situation. The saddest part is knowing that she is somebody's
child but there is no way to contact or trace the family,” she said.
The longest time it took to bury a client was two weeks, as Rumah Solehah
had to go through the red tape of verifying the claim to bury her.
“I wish there will come a day when shelters would be no longer needed,” she
said. Mak Wan: ‘Saddest part is burying them’ Zaimah: Provides counselling
at shelter Zahrain: ‘The shelter is my life’ Chow: Preaches care, commitment
and love
Notes: STF -: Various shelters have been set up to look after people with
HIV/AIDS and children who are either infected or affected by the virus.
Running these shelters are people who have unselfishly dedicated themselves
to a life of caring.
 Back to
News Page
|
