KUALA LUMPUR: Help is on the way for old folks’ homes and orphanages following the government’s move to allow all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to deliver aid directly to the needy and the underprivileged during the Movement Control Order.
The Women and Family Ministry yesterday announced special guidelines for NGOs to distribute food and essential items to the homeless and needy.
Faced with a shortage of food in their centres, some had taken to social media to ask for help.
This led to tech-savvy Malaysians stepping in to buy groceries and other food items with some buying groceries online through Lazada and Shopee and having them delivered.
One such centre that received the delivery was KLT-HY Home after a post by Elaine Tiew garnered over 600 shares.
Meanwhile, Loo Choon Teong, the superintendent of general affairs of Rumah Victory, a charity home in Jalan Puchong, says his centre was trying to cope with their food provision.
“We manage to provide sufficient meals for everyone at our children’s and elderly homes. We’ve come up with a plan so that we can stretch our supplies.”
Rumah Victory cares for 30 children at its Children and Youth Centre in Taman OUG and 70 residents in the Victory Elderly Home in Puchong.
As for medical needs, Loo said, every two days, the centre would despatch a staff member to get medicines from Kuala Lumpur Hospital for the senior residents.
Rumah Aman Children’s Home administration assistant Noraini Ngdimin said both of their orphanages were doing well.
“We are confident that our supplies would last until MCO ends on April 14.”
Noraini said both homes received donations of staple food from the community in the neighbourhood, as well as from NGOs.
However, aid can be sent to the gate only with minimum contact with the children.
In Kota Baru, Pusat Jagaan Kenangan Hajjah Rahmah Kota Bharu, one of Shaliscare Nursing and Services’s branches, is running low on rice and eggs.
However, its director Datin Shahzayati, Che Hassan, said the home could sustain itself with what it had for another week. Ten staff members work three shifts to tend to the residents as they are in need of care 24/7.
During the MCO, they care for only the permanent residents, and do not accept patients.
The OrphanCare Foundation, which shelters newborn babies and pregnant teens, said it had some reserve funds from public donations.
Its chief operating officer, Yuzila Md Yusof, said, however, when the MCO was implemented, the public donations had declined.