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PRESS ROOM |
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| The Star newspaper (Malaysia) |
| 12 May 2007 |
An outing to remember for single
parents and their kids
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By YIP YOKE TENG
AN EXCURSION out of town may be nothing
out of the ordinary to some, but to 40 single
parents and their children from Hulu Langat,
their recent visit to Bukit Tinggi was an
event they would cherish for a long time
to come.
To them, it was one of the rare occasions
when they could put aside their worries
and laugh from the bottom of their hearts.
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| One
for the album: The single parents and
their children taking a group photo
in Bukit Tinggi. |
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The excursion was
organised by the social workers of Rumah Love
and Care old folks' home and Rumah Caring
Kajang, a home for abused women and single
mothers.
Berjaya Hills Bhd sponsored 150 entry tickets
for the group and its general manager, Bjorn-Henning
Buth, greeted the group personally. And, a
generous well-wisher not only chartered two
coaches for the trip, she even gave each member
of the group an ang pow and present.
The peals of laughter and squeals of excitement
never stopped as the children romped through
the French village, Japanese Tea Garden, French
and German castles, Spanish town and European
cottages.
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"I've
never been so happy in a long time,"
said single mother Low Mei Sin, 37, a noodle
seller. "My children have never had the
privilege of having fun at such a nice holiday
destination after their father died 10 years
ago. Had this trip not been organised, we
could never have experienced this."
Meanwhile, the children kept asking when they
could go on another trip like that.
Organising chairperson Wendy Yap said taking
their children out for a simple outing was
a distant dream for the single parents who
earned less than RM1,000 a month.
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| Boo
to you!: The children, accompanied by
social workers having fun with a costumed
character dressed as the Grim Reaper,
at Bukit Tinggi. |
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| Taking
in the view: The chance to admire
beautiful scenery does not come
every day to the single parents
and their children, so the group
makes the most of the opportunity
they have on the trip to Bukit
Tinggi. |
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"The
struggle of single parents and their
children can be tougher than that of
orphans and old folks," said Yap.
An active social worker for 12 years,
she has also personally supported a
number of single-parent families for
the past seven years.
"Corporations and individuals remember
orphans and old folks, but not many
think of single parents who are struggling
to make ends meet. They have to endure
the pain of separation from their spouses
and the difficulty of re-joining the
workforce and society," she said.
"As a result, they tend to neglect
their children. Many children of single
parents have succumbed to negative influence.
We hope the outing can show them that
they are not alone, and encourage them
to take life positively," she added.
As the group left Bukit Tinggi, Koye
Lion Dance Association treated them
to a sumptuous buffet dinner in Cheras.
The group enjoyed the lion dance performed
by eight "lions", and received
a hamper and ang pow each. The association
had taken months to raise RM13,000 for
the purpose.
"We hope other organisations will
emulate our modest effort," said
its president, Jeffrey Wong.
Expressing her gratitude to all parties
involved, Yap urged individuals and
corporations to extend help to single
parents and their children.
"We hope we can take them on an
out-of-town outing once a year,"
she said.
Yap can be reached at 012-238 0043. |
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