Starting school with some help

The Star, Monday December 31, 2012

Eighty-four underprivileged children from Kajang are looking forward to the first day of school because they have new school uniforms.

No longer will they need to explain why their clothes are always dirty or why their parents are too poor to even afford rice, let alone a school shirt.

Instead, they can tell stories about how they celebrated Christmas with celebrity Lee Yvonne.

In the spirit of this season, The Nomad Offices presented Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Kajang (PKKKK) with gifts of school uniforms, socks, shoes, books and stationery.

“We were informed that some kids came to the centre crying, because schools sent them away for not wearing proper uniforms on registration day last month.

“As a child, you probably feel excited about going to a new school. But you end up feeling terrified and ashamed, because you can’t explain why you don’t have parents who can provide basic needs for you.

“As a provider of serviced offices, The Nomad Offices is able to depend on our large network of clients who are largely business people — many of whom are parents who know what it means to give the best to our children — to support this cause,” The Nomad Offices assistant general manager Cheng Shea Li.

“The Nomad SuCasa All-Suite Hotel and The Nomad Serviced Residences, Bangsar readily lent their support by getting hotel guests and The Nomad Bangsar residents to give donations.

“The Nomad SuCasa Hotel also sent its maintenance crew over to repair PKKKK’s leaking roof and other damages,” said The Nomad Group Bhd chief executive officer Roy George.

Cash collection totalled RM11,000 and sponsorship in kind from serviced office clients, residents, hotel guests and vendors came up to RM5,000.

Aside from gifts from The Nomad Offices, the “Share the Gift of Reading to Children” gave the children revision books, story books and stationery as part of their seventh year book-donation programme; Jati Bestari sponsored food and The House of Mini brought desserts for the party; The Nomad SuCasa catered a delicious tea-time spread; and Lee entertained the kids with a colouring contest.

PKKKK president Susie Arumugam, said the organisation started by helping children who came from broken families, without proper meals, without proper supervision and poor grades in school.

In August 2008, the teaching and feeding programme began with 15 kids. Today, Susie takes care of 84 kids from five to 17 years old.