It is really heartening to see some who have their priorities different from most of us. We should at least support them in other ways if we can't do the same. Even moral support would also help, I believe.

Please do keep up such good work and believe in your calling even when the difficult days. God Bless you all.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Thursday June 7, 2012

Pastor strives to improve lives of children from broken homes

Pastor Susan Devaki, who runs the Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-kanak Kajang (PKKK) in Jalan Restu, wakes up at around 6am to cook and prepare food, usually some curry and vegetables.

This serves as lunch for the morning and afternoon session schoolchildren who come to the centre to revise and do their schoolwork.

 

 

Susan drives a second-hand van, bought using the funds donated by her parishioners, to fetch the children.

“Some of the children are not lucky as the parents just cannot be bothered to care for them, or are absent from the household,” explained Susan.

For some of these children, the Milo and biscuits or rice, curry and vegetables are the only hot meals they get before heading to school or going home.

“Most of them come from broken homes with either abusive or dysfunctional parents. Some are also from single-parent homes, ” Susan said.

Not surprisingly, most of these children were lagging behind in school when they first came to the centre.

Susan aims to break the cycle of poverty and abuse by trying to help them improve their studies.

“Many of their parents can’t afford to pay the school fees.

“They feel frustrated when they see even slightly well-off children and develop low self-esteem and self-worth,” she explained.

To try and help them get out of the vicious cycle, Susan chose to work with the children, trying to improve their academic performance.

Susan was brought up in a plantation, and she worked her way to earn a degree in teaching.

She worked as a teacher for seven years before furthering her education in theological studies at a seminary in Seremban.

Compassionate: Susan goes through the children’s homework in the morning before they go to school.

 

Upon receiving her Masters in Theological Studies, she established a church in Kajang.

At first, she reached out to help the needy children was through a “Reading Room” project.

From an initial group of 15 children in August 2008, her small study group has grown to about 80 students in three years.

In 2011, the “Reading Room” was officially registered as PKKK, which enabled the charity to solicit for assistance and donations.

With only herself and a volunteer who helps to cook the meals and occasionally work with the children on her rest days, PKKK is pretty much a one-woman show.

Susan’s housemate and parishioner, Jeya Krishnasamy, helps the pastor with the cooking.

“Usually, we wake up around 5.30am or 6.30am to cook. I work at the hospital, but since it’s my day off, I came down to help,” said Jeya.

Susan said that the centre had received some help from various organisations and people, including new chairs and tables from the Kajang Rotary chapter, but added that volunteers and funds were hard to come by

To support herself, Susan gives lessons at night and lectures part-time, as her parishioners’ offerings cover the running costs of the church and centre.

“God provides and we’ve seen some changes in the children.

“The improvements may not be spectacular, but even rising from an ‘E’ to a ‘C’ or even a ‘B’ is an achievement for these children,” she said.

To donate or volunteer, contact Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-kanak Kajang (Pastor Susan Devaki) at 03-8737 0207.