MOW MOBILE LIBRARY - "Feeding" the minds of children in Pulau Indah

What a heart-warming sight to behold ... children pouring over books in the community hall of the Orang Asli in Pulau Indah.

On the morning of 18th May 2013, Meals on Wheels Ti-Ratana fulfilled the wishes of the Orang Asli in Pulau Indah to have a library for their children. With volunteers from Poiema Church and university students from Canada, we brought the sleepy and quiet community hall to life ... piles of books placed on floor mats for the children to choose and browse, with guidance from our helpful and enthusiastic volunteers.

The various expressions on the children's faces depict their joy, curiosity, interest and delight in spending their Saturday morning reading, learning and interacting with our volunteers.

Apart from the books, the children were given simple art pieces to paint. They were so engrossed in the activity and some were earnestly creating their "masterpiece".

Some of the curious mothers came along to see for themselves the commotion in the community hall. And a few of them encouraged and helped their younger children with the painting.

No Meals on Wheels event will be complete without FOOD ... the children were treated to KFC, muffins and chocolate milk drinks. But first, they had to wash their hands.

Our experience with these children tells us that they are hungry for knowledge; they want to read, learn, draw, paint, make things with their hands and much more. All they need is access to the materials and a little helping hand to guide them.

18th May was a good start ... the children in this community finally has a library to call their own ... small, it may be, but we hope this will sow the seed for a healthy reading and learning culture.

We would like to thank the generous people below for their contribution in making the library a reality for the children in Pulau Indah and the set-up session a most fun and memorable one:

1. JN for the library cupboard, mats and books
2. Scholastics for books
3. Lilian Kuan for books
4. Sharon Yong Abdullah for color pencils, art materials, pre-loved toys & clothings and drinks
5. Andrea and university students from Canada for books on the mountains and indigenous people in Canada
6. Poiema Church for books, posters and art materials
7. Catherine for the KFC

And most importantly, to all the volunteers who spent their Saturday morning with the children,  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ... it meant a lot to them to know that YOU CARE.

Last but not least, to some of the volunteers from Poiema Church who will be making regular visits to conduct similar sessions with the children in Pulau Indah ... your passion and dedication in helping the under-privileged is PRICELESS.


Posted by Kim
Pictures by Kim

MOW MOBILE LIBRARY - Request for books and volunteers for library in Orang Asli Pulau Indah community

Since our post on the "MOW Celebrate - Christmas event with Orang Asli Pulau Indah", where we requested for support to set up a mini library in their community hall, we have received donations in the form of cupboards and floor mats, from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, new books from Scholastic and pre-loved books from various donors. Thank you to all who have contributed!

We are almost ready to realize the wish of the Orang Asli Pulau Indah to have a library for the children to cultivate the good habits of reading. However, before we do that, we are seeking support for the following:

1. Library Volunteers
This is the first library in the community, and the Orang Asli do no have experience in the set-up, maintenance and running of a library. We would like the mini library to truly serve the community for many years. Thus we are calling for volunteers with an affinity for books and children to help manage this mini library and conduct quarterly/monthly (or more frequently if time permits) activities for the children in the community. The Tok Batin expects between 40-50 children to use the library regularly.

Please note that Pulau Indah is in Port Klang. This is a peaceful scene of the community, and the community hall where the library will be housed. Activities for the children can take place in or outside the hall.

2. Books
We still need more books for the library - both English and Malay books. The books should be suitable for pre-schoolers, primary school and lower secondary school children. They can be picture books, poster books, story books, workbooks, etc. We welcome pre-loved books.

These children truly need your support. The library will be an avenue for them to learn more about the world outside their little community, encourage reading and learning, do better in schools, go to college and eventually make a better living for themselves.

If you are interested to contribute to this good cause, either as a volunteer or donating books, please contact June at trccpenchala@gmail.com or call Kim at 012-3036019.