KUCHING: Hope Place donated food aid and face masks to a needy elderly couple found to be taking care of their three abandoned grandchildren.
A local non-governmental organisation (NGO), Hope Place received several distressed calls during movement control order (MCO) period, and one of those calls for help came from an elderly couple who needed desperate help, said a press release yesterday.
Its founder Kelvin Wan visited the elderly couple and handed over basic food aid necessities as well as face masks.
The elderly wife cum grandma Apa Sengau, 57, lives with her husband Chong Leong Shoon, 63, together with their three grandchildren aged between 10 and 14 years old. They are presently staying at the first floor of an abandoned, incomplete shoplot.
According to Apa, her husband is mentally disabled (OKU) with mental illness of Schizophrenia, and is unable to work due to his uncontrollable shaking hands.
He also has an OKU card and receives RM300 monthly from the Social Welfare Department (JKM), and formerly the family’s only other income came from Apa, who worked at a construction site doing odd jobs.
After undergone a surgery removing her womb last year, she is incapable of continuing her job. To make matter worse, due to marital problems, the parents of the three children have left them, thus leaving the kids under the care of the grandparents.
She also told Hope Place that her eldest grandson, aged 14 years old, took the initiative to find extra income for the family during the MCO by doing odd jobs as an effort to lessen the family’s burden.
Due to recovery movement control order (RMCO) period, Hope Place does not receive any second hand items for now.
For more information, Hope Place can be reached at 013- 567 2775, and currently it takes care of more than 190 needy families.
Hope Place opening hours are from 8.30am until 5.30pm from Mondays to Fridays, and 8.45am until 12pm on Saturdays.
Generous public members who would like to make donations can be done via bank in or direct transfer to Persatuan Kebajikan Harapan Kuching at Maybank account number 5112-8900-1160.
