PETALING JAYA: Some 20 elderly individuals are facing a bleak future and may lose the only shelter they have as the welfare home they live in is in dire straits and requires urgent funds, and is on the brink of closing down.
Wong Seok Fung, 47, founded Ci Ai Welfare (CAW) in 2020, with its objective being to care for the elderly.
“We provide shelter and care for them as best we can. Some of the elderly are unable to be accommodated for long-term care in government facilities as they are comatose. Private facilities cost too much and their families cannot afford to bear the expenses.
“We are on the verge of closing down as our funds have dried up, while expenses to look after the elderly and maintain the home has gone up too,” she said.
Wong added that she used to receive funds from a nun in Johor Bahru, but she has since set up an NGO and is unable to continue assisting CAW.
“We are grateful to the nun for her contributions. But after she set up her NGO, she informed us that we would have to find our own funding. This came as shock as we were not expecting the news to come so suddenly, and we panicked.”
She said CAW has been facing financial problems for a year and had tried its best to care for the elderly with funds donated to it from time to time by well-wishers. However, it does not receive regular donations.
Currently, the elderly CAW looks after have reduced from the numbers it had before.
Wong said she had to reduce the number of people being looked after due to the ever-growing expenses and critical cases being sent to CAW.
“We spend about RM1,500 on each of the elderly a month, which comes to RM30,000. This is apart from having to pay utility bills, rental, transport, maintenance and salaries for our four employees. The bills keep piling up.
“Some food is donated by people. But hospital bills and medical care, which costs a lot, make it tough for us to manage. Some of the elderly we look after are in critical condition,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ang Chye Hoon, 67, who volunteers as a social worker, is always there to help out.
“CAW was recently featured in the media and that helped draw some donations. However, that was just for a short while and it helped to pay CAW’s bills for two months.
“We need regular donations to run a welfare home as we have elderly who need continuous care.
“In one case we took in a comatose patient as his wife and son could not care for him. Now, he is still in a state of coma and has been like that for several years.
“I am a Buddhist and I believe in serving society as it creates a better place for the next generation,” she said.
Those who are keen to contribute funds can do so directly through its Hong Leong Bank account number 38300026683. Wong can be reached at 012 484 2447.
