Reported by:
Khoo Xin Yi Sr1ScA
Under the supervision of two teachers from Kuen Cheng High School, four of the Commerce Club’s clubmates took the initiative to bring donation goods to Yayasan Sunbeams Home, a home which is currently housing a total of 81 underprivileged children.
On the 1st of October, the club members left for the Home at 12:30p.m. with several bags of snacks and notebooks packed for the donation. Following their arrival, the members asked the caretakers of the Home about their organization.
Yayasan Sunbeams Home
Ms. Carol is a single mother and a caretaker who has worked at the Home for six years now. She was delighted to share more about the organization, which has been around for twenty-eight years. The children they house mostly come from less fortunate families, such as families which neglect them or are abusive. Children of different races and backgrounds are brought together and treated equally in the Home. However, Ms. Carol believes that the children are given unnecessary pity for their situation as she’s noticed that they’re happier in this Home than in their previous one.
The children in the Home are split into two different blocks, one for the girls and the other for boys. The organization hires teachers to homeschool the children, and they also get to join extracurricular activities like scout clubs or chess. They only take government exams outside of homeschooling, specifically Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). After SPM, they’re encouraged to go to college or university, and the Home will typically look for scholarships for them. As for those who don’t want to continue studying, they try out other skills like cooking or handicrafts.
On Sundays, the children go to church as the Home runs on Christian beliefs. They’re allowed to watch TV together and sometimes play in the field nearby after school but are rarely allowed to go out otherwise. As for chores, the children take turns doing their fair share, though the cooking is left to the workers.
On the topic of leaving the Home, children who reach 17 years old are typically encouraged to find their own place to live. Some decide to live with distant relatives or friends, but some decide to stay and help out at the Home instead.
“We give the best to the children.” Ms. Carol confessed that some children are much harder to teach as some are quite naughty, but she believes that patience is key and no one should force the children to do something they dislike, instead they try to find different ways to tackle such problems.
Group Photo
After the conversation with Ms. Carol, the Commerce Club members took a quick group photo with her before leaving around 2:00p.m..
