Letter to The Editor
The recent announcement by the Minister of Welfare, Community Well-Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development that the state Cabinet had approved the setting up of a one-stop centre for children with special needs to cater for needy families with intellectually-challenged children is most timely.
Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah also added that Petronas will be funding the centre as one of its CSR projects in Sarawak.
While the majority of parents and families ponder over their children’s academic pursuits, those families with intellectually-challenged children are even more worried over the welfare of these children.
The majority of them will be dependent on others for the rest of their lives and often are forgotten by the society.
Much praise goes to Petronas for the setting up of this centre in Sarawak apart from similar ones already set up in other parts of the country by the national corporation.
As often the case, projects like these one-stop centres do not generally create interest in the media while Petronas sponsorships of major events like Formula One and others get full publicity.
It is also timely that other corporations make similar commitments to the less fortunate members of our society and provide the necessary funding to assist them.
One noteworthy area is that of the elderly in our society; with increasing modernisation and opportunities, many young ambitious people often seek employment outside our borders and often they do not return.
Ageing parents often face difficulties due to such circumstances and have nobody to look after them when in need.
There are also many individuals who do not marry or have children and they face similar loneliness when they are old.
Most of our centres for the elderly are private business entities like nursing homes which many elderlies could not afford.
Hence, such centres to cater to the elderly should be considered as one of the CSR projects for major corporations to consider in the future.
PHILIP WONG,
Kuching
