“Omok pekalai?” (“Want to study?” in Penan), I asked. “OMOK!!!” (“WANT!”), came the thunderous reply of a group of children aged between 6-12 years, followed by their roaring laughter. I smiled at their enthusiasm as I looked around the village. In my heart, I wondered, “Is education important to them?”
This is the story of Chiek Ming, a volunteer who initially joined us to fulfil her practicum hours in counselling and has since become a dedicated long-term volunteer with Malaysian CARE since 2021. Volunteers like Chiek Ming play a crucial role in delivering Community-Based Recovery(CBR) services by journeying with ex-prisoners through our halfway homes – Rumah Petros for men and Rumah Kepercayaan for women.
This story is written by Myona, who embarked on a journey with 8-year-old Fifi* under CARE’s Home-based Learning Support (HBLS) programme. Fifi and family resides in a low-cost flat where CARE has been actively working with the community there. She grew up in a low-income family, and due to some family circumstances, Fifi dropped out of school since the beginning of 2024.
Malaysian CARE is the appointed coordinator of the Jeffrey Cheah Community Scholarship and this partnership has brought substantial returns, though not in cash but in kind. This scholarship is fully funded to cater for students from orphanages as well as poor family backgrounds. For more information about the scholarship, please visit www.malaysiancare.org/jcf.