By Sue Lee
In early December, Shelter held its annual Christmas dinner at its recently refurbished premises in Petaling Jaya. Its children, supporters, board members, volunteers, and past and present staff were in attendance. The rain did nothing to damper the excitement and anticipation for the night’s festivities. It was a joyous time of celebration as guests sang carols with the children, fellowshipped over a scrumptious meal, and rejoiced with staff recognised with long service awards.
Having been around for over 40 years, Shelter Home for Children is perhaps one of Malaysia’s more well-known Christian welfare organisations. Its founder and former executive director, Dr James Nayagam, is almost synonymous with charity, children, and giving. Those of us over a certain age would remember when Shelter’s annual calendars with pictures drawn by kids were purchased and received as Christmas gifts to support its fundraising efforts.
Today, Shelter continues to be a beacon of hope to over 40 children currently cared for in three different homes, Shelter 1, Shelter 2 and Shelter 3, ages 4 to 18. These children come from troubled homes where they have been abused, abandoned, neglected or at risk. At Shelter, children are protected and provided with a loving environment where healing and restoration can occur from past hurts and trauma. They are guided to grow into well-rounded, mature and positive members of society through education and character development.
It cannot be taken lightly that most children come to Shelter during their formation years, and there is an urgency to sow intentionally into their lives. “We empower our children to become independent by teaching them life skills and modelling healthy relationships. Their education is a top priority for us,” says Carol, house manager at Shelter 1.
Many children experience a shock upon their arrival at Shelter as they grow up in homes where they are left to fend for themselves, and school attendance becomes irregular. “Some of the kids have difficulties adjusting to the discipline and environment and take several months to adjust,” adds Carol.
Since one of Shelter’s goals is to reunite its children with their families, the reverse is also true – having spent several years at Shelter, where they are given the best care possible, some children face challenges in re-adjusting to their homes. Carol shares, “There are children that complain that their home has no air-conditioning, or that their mother’s cooking isn’t nice. But we tell them that’s what your mom can afford or the best they can do, so you must adjust.”
Long-Serving Staff
Indeed, this shows that at Shelter, children are well-loved and well-taken care of by the staff, and leaving doesn’t come easy. One of the long-service award recipients at the annual dinner was Vijeyakumar, or Aunty Vije to the children. At 63 years old, Vije has worked at Shelter for 30 years, starting as a cook at one of the homes and eventually becoming a caregiver at Shelter 2. Her role as a caregiver is to be a mother and mentor to the teenage girls in her care.
Soft-spoken and gentle, Vije enjoys talking to the girls while she combs their hair, and when asked what her day looks like, she says she does whatever she can for the girls. “I share God with them, about how God changed my life and my character, and that He will do the same for them,” says Vije.
Vije herself faced personal challenges prior to joining Shelter as a staff, and she sees her past pains as something God has used for good. “They come from a similar situation as me. If I had a happy life, I wouldn’t know what the children are going through,” she says matter-of-factly.
While many people have questioned her on why she continues working at Shelter year after year, Vije simply says that she has “no heart” to do other work. “God chose me (and in my suffering). God never left me. This is what I can do for God after what God has done for me. I will work here until I cannot.”
Vije’s love for the girls in her care is evident, and she views her work as serving God. Sarah*, a lively 14-year-old girl under her care, adds, “Aunty Vije cooks nice food and is very caring.” According to her, Shelter is a “nice and enjoyable” place where she feels at home. She shares that she has learnt respect for others and leadership skills and spoke highly of her caregivers, who are there for the children when faced with challenges.
Impossible without Supporters
Like most NGOs, the pandemic and economic downturn have resulted in declining donations and funds. Chris Fan, the General Manager at Shelter, revealed that donations this year are down 20-30% compared to the previous year. Even so, kind donors and business owners generously sponsored the Christmas dinner.
In fact, during Chris’s speech at the start of the dinner, he is quick to note that despite the challenges, Shelter has had the support of many volunteers and churches. Among them are individuals who sponsor daily necessities such as vegetables, fish and eggs; Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall runs devotions with the children at Shelter and takes them to Sunday School; Sungei Way Christian Center that provides school transportation; Big Rajah sponsors meals for the children; a guitar teacher; a sports coach; pastors who provide character-building programs; volunteers to teach at the Shelter After School program, and many more.
As Carol says, “We can’t do it on our own.”
Giving the Children the Best
While Shelter may be lacking in finances, they are not short of dedicated and passionate staff who love the children and believe in their work. Shelter staff are rich in compassion, and one can easily see the warmth and closeness the children share with them. The children are given the very best and are not short-changed in having positive experiences and memories to last them a lifetime.
During the annual dinner, guests were invited into the living room, where an elegant and cosy Christmas setting awaited us. It looked like a Christmas wonderland with beautiful decorations and a 7-foot tree by the window. An outsider may think that a lot of money had been spent decorating the living room when, in fact, all items were donated, and Shelter is blessed with a staff who has the “magic touch” of making pre-loved items look expensive and new.
One could see that the children revelled in the beautiful room as they sat and watched a special video presentation. Martin, Home Manager of Shelter 3, had taken the time to record videos of the kids and shoot professional portraits of them in front of the Christmas tree. They squealed in delight as they watched Christmas music videos that featured their home brothers and sisters, all dressed up and lip-syncing and “playing instruments” to Christmas songs like professional performers. It warmed all the guests’ hearts to see the children given this special memory and experience.
As I sat by the Christmas tree, delighting in the children’s joy, I spoke to one of the caregivers of Shelter 1, Jerusha. Her joy and love for the children was contagious. “Children are the best,” she says enthusiastically. “It is the best working with them. I love kids.”
Jerusha has spent almost 19 years working with children and 5 years at Shelter with younger children aged 4-12. She shared that she sometimes visits the children, even on her days off, and makes it a point to personally fundraise some money for the children so that she can buy them a new Christmas outfit. She rewards the children with treats such as a special meal whenever they collect enough stars on their star chart.
Her love for the job seemed so authentic and overflowing that I couldn’t help asking if the kids ever stressed her out. “Yes, of course, sometimes there is stress. I am human. But in the end, I really enjoy them.” I marvelled at how well-behaved the kids seemed, and she shared that the kids follow a strict daily schedule and are taught to be disciplined. While she does encounter some problems, overall, she says the children are good kids.
Moving Forward
According to Carol, children at Shelter homes come from broken families and long for love, acceptance and affection. “Biblically what we are doing is that we are discipling them. We are sowing unseen seeds into their lives (that will only bear fruit much later).”
Working at Shelter can be challenging, and the rewards cannot be measured in earthly terms but only in the lives of the children who pass through their doors. A brief look at Shelter’s website will quickly reveal that there have been many encouraging stories of lives changed – children who go on to graduate from university and contribute back to society and children taken out of abusive homes and given a safe place at Shelter.
Shelter currently is blessed with 30 staff, both young and old, but there is a great need for more long-term dedicated caregivers willing to sacrifice their careers and oftentimes their weekends to serve the children. The Lord has faithfully provided for the ministry throughout the decades, but it has run on a deficit these past years.
If you have a heart for children, consider getting together with your cell group or family to visit the children regularly by giving them tuition, supporting them financially by providing for their daily essentials, or sponsoring a child. There are many ways to contribute towards this worthy cause and impact these children’s lives.
To learn more about Shelter and how you can help, visit their website at https://www.shelterhome.org.
*Name changed to protect the child
About the writer
Sue Lee is a stay-at-home mother with four children under 10. She and her husband, Jon, worship at SIBKL church, where she leads a ladies’ cell group.
