PETALING JAYA: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the number of children at welfare homes by up to 30%, according to a report in the Malaysian Insight.
Shan De JB Child Welfare Home operator Simon Aw highlighted this problem in an article published by the portal recently.
“They face problems like financial difficulties, couples spliting up and unemployment,” it quoted Aw as saying.
“Our centre has been operating for 12 years and is licensed by the (Social) Welfare Department, so some cases are referred to us by the department.”
The centre has 44 children between the ages of one and 17. As the number of children admitted rose, its expenses also went up, Aw pointed out
“The pandemic put a stop to our fundraising activities. However, we are going to have a fundraising drive next year, including by holding charity dinners.
“We hope for donations from the public, which will help with our expenses.”
The House of Love Children’s Home is also facing the same problem. “Faced with financial difficulties, marriages have been strained and many couples have split up,” its director and founder Joseph Pang said.
“They could not take on the responsibility of raising their children. In the end, they choose to ignore or abandon them.
“We take in children mainly under the age of 10, who are from families with single parents, are orphans, or are victims of abuse.”
Insight also spoke to Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak WP’s Elaine Wong, who said apart from the pandemic, inflation and rising living costs have left many families in dire straits.
“Many families are grappling with inflation, and everything is expensive due to the high cost of living. Some parents were forced to send their children to our centre,” she was quoted as saying.
According to Wong, the number of children at her centre has grown by about 10% after the pandemic. It now houses 28 children.
“As things get more expensive, supplies decrease, so we are in urgent need of donations such as milk powder and diapers. We have tried to raise funds and supplies through Facebook promotions, but the results were unsatisfactory.”
She said the centre accepts public donations, and that she could be contacted at 012-959 3937.