CARE AND PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR DISABLED AND ABUSED WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN BORNEO

A live-in residential care project to help children with mental, physical and emotional disabilities as well as some young adults and abused women/children. Physiotherapy work available to those who are qualified. This rewarding project also accepts volunteers with most types of disabilities as the buildings are wheelchair friendly and accessible.  The home is close to Sabah's beautiful coastline and around 15 minutes drive from it's thriving capital, Kota Kinabalu. 

You'll assist at Bukit Harapan, a publicly-funded residential home near Kota Kinabalu offering care for the underprivileged and helpless community. It is a shelter for abused women and children, victims of rape and children with mental and physical disabilities.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
At the Centre, the children are given the necessary care and love (some on a one-to-one basis) according to their physical and emotional needs – bathing/washing them, feeding and general care (e.g washing of clothes, room cleaning and sweeping, cooking and playing). The home is constantly alive with the caregivers tending to the needs of the 48 residents, 33 of which are either orphaned, abandoned or have no proper home.

Some of the children have multiple disabilities and need close attention most of the time. There is a varied range of disabilities including; Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Attention Deficit Disorder, Learning difficulties, Paralysis and Deafness. If you have experience as a Physiotherapist you'll be able to get involved with treatments.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into South East Asia and the fascinating Malaysian culture.

• The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged women and children and knowing that you made a difference to them.

• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

• An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

WORK CONTENT:
Only 5 of the 48 residents go to normal schools so one of your main responsibilities will be to provide additional support and care for the children during the day. You’ll help by talking, playing and reading with them. You will also assist with mealtimes and some times cleaning up after them. The main mode of communication is Bahasa Malaysia but English is widely spoken and used amongst the staff.

It has always been the goal of Bukit Harapan to aid the helpless so that they may find confidence in life again, see the reason to stay alive, stand on their own feet and forgive those who have hurt them, giving them the chance to look forward to the future.

Each child is given an Individual Education Plan (IEP) according to his or her needs. They then follow a special educational programme that is modified or particularized for those students with special needs, such as learning differences, mental health problems, or specific disabilities (physical or developmental). Modifications can consist of changes in curriculum, supplementary aides or equipment, and the provision of specialized facilities that allow students to participate in the educational environment to the fullest extent possible. Students may need this help to access subject matter, to physically gain access to the school, or to meet their emotional needs. Support is targeted to the needs of the individual student and can be short or long term.

The home is also engaged in some outreach work to remote communities and a Rural Youth programme to help support individuals in the area and provide them with the skills required to care for those with disabilities.

Bukit Harapan relies heavily on public and private support to run as it supports 48 residents and 16 full-time and live-in staff, who do not have any fixed days off. The home is grateful that many individuals from middle to high-income brackets have been giving their support in the form of donating food essentials and other necessities to run the home. These are anonymous philanthropists who only wish to see the welfare of the home’s residents taken care of. However, the home is constantly in need of donors either in cash or kind to ensure the health and well being of its’ residents.

To sustain the livelihood of Bukit Harapan a nursery project has recently been initiated with the hope that sales from the plants and orchids will assist in the smooth operation of the home. An orchid mist house has been built with a herb garden in the pipeline. It is also part of the homes ‘green’ effort to rejuvenate the environment.

Before you go - you can enroll in a 1-day intensive open teacher training day (optional) to help you teach if you have no previous experience.

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One of the young boys after music practice

Also on this page:

• Work Content

• Daily routine

• Staff

• Location, facilities and accommodation

• Your background

• Induction

• Travel Info

Some of the home's residents in the arts centre

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Volunteer David Llewellyn with some of the children!

The garden area in the home's grounds.

The home's new premises includes school classroom facilities

School lessons for some of the children

The accommodation block at the newly built home

This is a live-in volunteer programme, so you’ll be accommodated on site and will live, eat and sleep at the home. In this way you’ll get to know the staff and children quickly and will become part of the community at Bukit Harapan. You’ll be encouraged to join in with all activities and will be fully immersed into Malaysian culture in a very unique environment. This is a challenging but incredibly rewarding placement to take part in.

Click for MAP

Hamid Kassim, a 47 year-old orphan who is paralysed from the waist down and has been at the home for 15 years. Despite being wheelchair bound, he takes care of the garden, does minor maintenance around the home as well as care for the younger residents. An artistic person with great carpentry skills.

Suzie Yanti Wences who is 22 and wheelchair bound. She has never had any formal education. She had taught herself to read and write and as of mid March 2007 has started attending formal education in Sekolah Swasta Sri Insan. Suzie who has been a resident for the past 10 years aspires to be a lawyer. She also teaches the younger children in her spare time.

If you have any kind of disability yourself there is a good chance that the home will be able to accept you to volunteer as all of the buildings are wheelchair friendly and accessible.

You will then be taken to your school and accommodation and introduced to everyone concerned. You will be made to feel very welcome by all!