Shelter for child survivors of abuse in Malaysia

The Child Care Centre (CCC) was struck by fire in November last year. On the day itself, the neighbours surrounding the CCC were so helpful and lent a helping hand. They provided the thirteen children and two child minders blankets, clothes and food. They even discussed of where to house these children as the CCC was burnt.

A collective decision was made to house the children and the child minders temporarily at the Refuge. Though they had a roof over their heads and beds to rest, the children were still strongly affected by the tragedy that nearly took their lives. Play therapy which takes place frequently for the children was put on hold because all the items were destroyed in the fire and there was not enough space in the Refuge for it to be carried out. Play therapy was crucial at this moment to these kids because it would be therapeutic and also help them momentarily forget about the tragic incident. The staff tried their best to normalize the children’s lives at the shelter but adapting to a new environment was difficult after such a traumatizing incident.

Moving into the new home

We found a new temporary home for the CCC. The process of acquiring the permit took some time as we had to deal with the town council for approval and also getting consent from the neighbours to join their residential community. The process took roughly two months.

The public and other organizations were very generous and accommodating when they found out about the tragedy that struck the CCC. We received a lot of in kind donations in the form of clothes, food and even furniture. There was not enough space to store all the items. Therefore, we opted for a rented storage facility to temporarily keep all the donations that would be later moved to the new temporary CCC. The children were anticipating the move to the new home.

On the bright side, the previous Child Care Centre will be rebuilt as a part of a corporate social responsibility project led by The Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (REHDA). The new plan of the CCC will have a larger compound which will incorporate a counselling room, play terrace, library, rooms for the child minders and other therapeutic sections such as a herb garden.

We are very excited with this project that has brought people of the same interest to make a difference in these children’s lives. Now, the children from the CCC can go back to normalcy and lead their lives in hope of a better future.