A BEACON FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN
By Joanna Lee
When her youngest child, Susanna, was born in 1999, Aly Cheah knew from the nurses’ looks that her baby wasn’t ordinary. The next morning, the paediatrician confirmed that Susanna had Down’s Syndrome. Her husband responded, “Doctor, we have four blessings. And Susanna is another blessing.” Little did they know how much of a blessing her birth would be, not only to them but also to many families.
From Holland to Malaysia
Aly Cheah grew up in a strict Dutch Reformed church-attending family in Assen, a small town in northern Holland. At 16, she left home to study nursing. She trained at a psychiatric and a geriatric hospital, and also worked at a place for special needs children, hence her exposure to Down’s syndrome and autistic kids.
When she left home, she left church too. “I didn’t want to worship such a strict God,” Aly said. However, she accepted Christ at age 19 but soon fell back to her old ways. Later, she met Eddy Cheah, who was working in the oil industry at Assen, and moved to Malaysia in 1989 to marry him.
It wasn’t until after their first child, Ian, was born that she rededicated her life to God. “I was so hungry and I wanted everything that God had for me,” she recalled.
God’s purpose for Susanna
In a prophecy for baby Susanna, Aly heard, “God will use her in education.” She wondered how.
As Susanna grew, Aly enrolled her at Kiwanis. “However, they focused more on academics and I felt social integration was more important for Susanna,” she said. She asked God to show her what to do.
One day, a thought flashed across her mind: “You can change the system or you start something yourself.”
So in 2002, Aly started a playgroup for special needs children in her then church, Beacon Presbyterian Centre, in Kepong. As the children grew, there was a need for their education. Beacon Life Training Centre (BLTC) was thus born in 2008 out of the church’s outreach-focused playgroup. BLTC started on the first floor of the church with eight children, one teacher and a teacher’s aide.
Powered by prayer
There were three conditions that Aly felt God gave her for BLTC. First, God must be in the centre of BLTC. Second, all teachers must be Bible-believing, Spirit-filled individuals. Third, never look at man’s hands.
“God showed me, ‘If I really put something on your heart, you trust Me and just talk to Me about it’,” Aly said of her early days, living from month to month trusting God for BLTC’s finances. She never advertised for teachers or appealed for funds.
“There were times when there wasn’t enough money to pay the teachers. We’d just pray and sure enough, the teachers never went without salaries.
“Many of the teachers testified that when they started working at BLTC, God provided more than they ever asked for, not only in salaries but in other ways,” Aly shared, happy that her prayers for her teachers’ faith and character growth through serving at BLTC had been answered.
Today, BLTC has 14 teachers and nearly 40 children in attendance.
Over the years, they have also experienced miracles. “God’s presence is here. Children have seen angels. I’ve seen supernatural healings among children, and teachers who had knee pains and back aches were healed instantly when they came in,” she enthused.
Curriculum from a mother’s heart
The ideas for the curriculum came from Aly’s instinct as a mother. What she wanted for Susanna was also what she wanted for the other kids as well.
“We focus on loving them,” she stressed. “A lot of our children are socially okay. But academically, they find it hard to write and read, so we focus a lot on behaviour.”
They learn the days of the week, months of the year, their names, worship, Bible stories and light exercises. There are also puzzles, writing, numbers, colours and fine motor skills lessons for children of different age groups.
Since they learn through repetition, the lessons are repeated every year. By the time they are 12, they would have learned about their living surroundings, basic concepts of numbers and dates, some writing skills and independent living skills such as basic cooking.
The children also go on fun field trips. For instance, after learning about postmen in occupations, they would visit the post office. Likewise, when learning about vegetables, they would go on a grocery shopping trip.
For the older kids, BLTC also trains them through taking on simple jobs from corporations such as packing snack box cutlery for KFC or weaving floor mats for sale to generate income.
Changing parents’ mindsets
“Independence is really important for their self-confidence,” said Aly. “This will help them to trust themselves and not panic when they’re in an empty house or when mom’s not there.”
“I guess Asian parents want their children to be more academically inclined. But they don’t see the reality their children face,” she said of the fact that some special children don’t have the capacity for academics or working independently. “When children cannot do their ABC’s or read, it doesn’t make them less a person,” she said. But if a child has the capacity, the teachers will push him/her to learn.
Having an autistic child is one of the most difficult things for parents. “But it makes it easier when they accept their child,” Aly pointed out.
Some parents refuse to let their special children learn to eat by themselves. “I always tell these parents, ‘When your child is 18, do you still want to feed him or do you want him to be able to eat by himself?’,” Aly said, acknowledging that teaching them to be independent is harder than doing everything for them.
Ultimately, she said it boils down to what goals parents have for their children’s future.
New chapters
One of the things impressed upon Aly’s heart was that her tenure with BLTC would only be 10 years. The 10 years is up and she has passed on the mantle to a dedicated team.
“When I look back, it’s been just a joy for me. I had enjoyed being with the children and seeing them grow,” said Aly, who still volunteers at BLTC.
As for Susanna, Aly couldn’t be prouder of her.
“Susanna loves BLTC and she’s always looking out for the little ones. She’s such a great blessing to us. She’s never been sick even though she has a hole in her heart. She wakes up in the morning with a smile and looks forward to everything and is full of love for everyone,” Aly beamed.
“All our children are blessings to us, but God gave Susanna to us to start BLTC.”
As for BLTC’s future, Aly believes that its next phase is to look at assisted living for special needs children. This is just what she will be doing with Susanna as they look into assisted living arrangements for her, possibly in the Netherlands.
On Oct. 28, BLTC will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a thanksgiving and fundraising dinner at the Mega Star Arena. Those interested to help can contact 012-242 3989.
“I never saw BLTC as something of what I did. I’ve always known that somehow God created this and I’m here just as an instrument. BLTC belongs to God,” Aly stressed.
“All things work for good for those who love Him, so God can work through even a Down’s Syndrome baby,” she concluded.
Asian Beacon: Oct – Dec 2018 (Vol 50 #4, p16-17)
