Reaching out to the disabled

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THROUGHOUT his stay at the longhouse in Kanowit, Ken Nakazawa has always extended a ready hand to the rural folks, especially the disabled.

DON’T BE SHY: Kazuyo (right) coaxing an inmate to join the dancing session.

He has a soft spot for the handicapped, particularly those in the rural areas. For him, disabled people deserve to be happy and to live their life to the full — just like normal people.

“They should be happy like us. They were born into this world to enjoy life and so they must enjoy their life just like we enjoy ours,” he said.

When he came to Kanowit some years ago, he had a very important mission in mind — to seek out as many disabled people as possible and find ways to help them.

In 2006, he and his adopted brother Dr Joseph Jawa Kendawang went to 17 longhouses around Kanowit District, looking for the needy and destitute.

They found a few — among them a young girl whose condition so touched Ken that it made him realise his mission was all the more important in reaching out to the disadvantaged.

This mentally challenged girl was confined at home by her parents, prompting Ken to set up a centre to help her (and people like her) live a better life.

“I thought if she continued to be confined like that, she would be alone her whole life with no friends. If we could have facilities and organise some activities, she could be happy. That was how I decided to set up the centre,” he recalled.

The centre, set up in 2007 and opened a year later, and named Rejang Community Service (RCS), is near Rumah Michael Jalak at Sungei Bawan, Kanowit District.

The mentally challenged girl has a special place in Ken’s heart. Once the centre opened, he hung six of her photos at one corner where they are visible to visitors.

“The girl was only at the centre for a year or so before she passed away from an illness. We had fond memories of her — that’s why I continue to hang her pictures at the wall.”

Ken’s ambition to help the disabled in the rural areas was strongly supported by the Japan Asian Community Service Exchange (ACE) group and Japan’s Postal Savings for International Voluntary Aid (Posiva).

These non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had given large sums of money to help set up the centre but unfortunately, there was no land available. That was why Tuai Rumah Michael Jalak — Ken’s ‘unofficial’ brother — donated his land to fulfil Ken’s dream.

“I thought this contribution to the care of the disabled was a very humble and beautiful thing to do. So I donated three acres for him to build the centre,” Michael said.

The cost was RM2 million — RM1 million donated by the Japanese Consul and another RM1 million by ACE.

Every month, the centre spends about RM7,000 on maintenance and salaries. So far, 13 disabled persons are attending class and getting therapy there.

The inmates love to play music. Recently, they showed off their skills in playing traditional music to reporters.

Ken’s wife, Kazuyo, is particularly fond of the inmates.

The centre holds team studies and sessions for learning ABC, drawing and counting numbers.

“We teach them to count money as well. They learn music, singing national songs and trend songs and playing Iban tunes. We also have guitar lessons. For exercise, they play sports such as basketball,” Ken said.

The centre provides a van to pick up the disabled at the longhouses and send them back after class from 8.30am to 3.30pm with breaks for meals provided by the centre.

For income, the inmates learn weaving and dyeing clothes using natural dyes. They also rear chicken and look after two fish ponds.

The centre sells the woven products to tourists and the money is shared among the inmates. Japanese weaving designs are used and the materials, including the machine, all come from Japan.

So far, financial support is provided by donations from locals as well as Japan through ACE and Posiva, and the Consulate General Japan in Kota Kinabalu.

For healthcare, Ken said he sometimes opened a clinic for the longhouse folks and the disabled at the centre.

Dr Joseph’s daughters are also doctors in Kanowit and once in a while, they would drop by to give checkups.

Ken said he wanted to have the checkups done once a month but this was not feasible because the doctors were very busy in Kanowit.

However, Kanowit is not his only destination. He has a bigger mission and once the centre is functioning smoothly, he will hand it over to the locals.

“I’m thinking of getting in touch with more rural folks so that after a few more years, I will be able to hand the centre over to them while I will start a new mission,” he said.

Ken is keeping Kapit on the radar, noting the disabled there and Upper Kapit are poorly taken care of — which concerns him.

He said the situation in Kanowit is better than in those two areas.

“It’s my dream to set up a centre such as this in Kapit. I would bring some toys, therapy equipment and maybe some doctors. I would, of course, need a big boat to get the things in. Going there is very difficult but I will try because the rural areas are very important.”

Ken, who retired in his 50s, had been doing community service in Penang for 10 years before resigning and coming to Kuching.

For him, the city is well taken care of with many centres to look after the disabled but in the rural areas, few people have ever thought of setting up similar centres.

Today, at 69, Ken said as long as he is still strong, he would do all he could to help the disabled.