Kelvin (right) receiving a mock cheque for RM20,000 from Fatimah. With them is Welfare Department director Noriah Ahmad (left).
Kelvin in front of Hope Place centre at Jalan Dogan, Batu Kawa.
Kelvin (second left) and another Hope Place volunteer with three kids in Lubok Antu
SOMETIMES, first‐hand experiences are the best teacher of the lessons in life.
That seems be the case for Kelvin Wan, founder of Hope Place which is looking after 80 needy families from Kuching, Bau and Serian.
Set up in 2012, the charitable body is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) under the Registry of Society.
In a quick chat with thesundaypost, Kelvin spoke of his experiences as a charity worker, how Hope Place was set up and its targets for the new year.
Q: Can you tell us why Hope Place was set up?
A: It was back in 2010. I was involved with another NGO that carried out rescue operations and provided relief to disaster victims.
We were in Kampung Kudei to help flood victims when I approached a family consisting of an elderly couple with two disabled children.
They were staying in a house with no electricity and their living conditions were quite dire.
Since our capacity to render assistance was limited to times of disaster, we were not able to help them. So I decided to fork out RM250 of my own money to buy essentials for the family.
The next thing I knew was families living in similar conditions coming to me for help. For several months, I was supplying basic essentials such as rice, sugar and cooking oil to five families.
Their situations were heart‐rending. Such first‐hand experiences in helping proverty stricken families in my opinion are the best teacher of the lessons in life. It’s so humbling.
Church members and friends soon noticed what I was doing and started chipping in.
After six months, we were helping 30 needy families. That was when we thought it was time to set up our own charitable body to help the destitute. Basically, that was how Hope Place came about.
Q: How does Hope Place operate?
A: Our methods are simple. We collect donations and send them to those in need. With around 80 families (and growing) to help now, we are looking for more donors.
Hope Place consists of myself, the only male member, and four women who are married with families.
During their free time, they help distribute rations from our centre at Jalan Dogan, Batu Kawa. We assess the applicants (for aid) from four main categories disabled, single mothers with income below RM500, senior citizens and family with income of less RM250 – after deducting their monthly expenses.
Q: How does Hope Place assess the living conditions of families?
A: Mostly, we offer help to those who come to us or through information from the public. We assess their situation, then bring the matter of qualification up to the committee for consideration and approval before we dispense any assistance.
After six months, we will reassess the families to see whether they still need assistance. We have also helped some of the family members to find jobs.
Q: Where does Hope Place get its support?
A: We received assistance worth RM20,000 from the Welfare Department last year the first from the government and presented by Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah.
It was a morale booster for us. The assistance comes in really handy as we need to pay RM1,200 for renting our centre and other operating costs. As a marketing executive, my boss is very supportive of my charity works and comes in to assist every now and then.
Q: What are you looking forward to in 2014?
A: For starters, we hope to expand our aid programme outside Kuching. Last year, we gave food aid to a longhouse in Lubok Antu, about 11 hours’ drive from Kuching. The aid was worth RM14,000.
We are keen to help longhouse families have better a life. Apart from food rations, we will also try to obtain rubber seeds and fertilisers from the Agricultural Department to help them grow crops and earn extra income. That’s our main project this year.
We are also looking forward to getting more assistance from the public.
Q: What motivates you to work even harder for Hope Place?
A: It’s the hardships the needy and the destitute have to go through everyday – which are evident from the emotions they show.
It really touches me to see some of the recipients crying when we gave them a packet of rice although a packet of rice may not mean much to some.
I remember buying crackers (biscuits) for a child who kept them under his shirt over night. When I asked why he did not eat them, he simply said “I will not have anymore left if I do.”
A simple meal means so much to these people and this is what motivates Hope Place to go the extra mile to help them.
There’s another story of a very old couple in Kampung Taee, Serian, who wove floormats for a living. We were told at one point they had to sell their products just to buy medicine. I am moved by situations like this to carry on with my charity works for many more years to come.
Q: Any message for the public?
A: We at Hope Place urge the public to step forward to help us help the needy. We thank all donors for their generosity and call on more well‐wishers to support a very worthy cause of giving poor families a second and better chance at life.
Kelvin (right) with an elderly couple from Kampung Taee, Serian.