KJTC: A Centre of Hope

 

KJTC trainees in 2001

I’m precious too

I did not choose to come into the world this way

To face prejudice and strange looks day after day

If only I have a choice

But how many will listen to my little voice?

My loving parents carry a heavy heart

Every unkind whisper is like a poison dart

Looking at me, their dreams begin to fade

Many a night they carry their tears to bed

Yet I ask not for pity but for help

Given a chance I may be useful too

Some things I know I can never do

But still, in God's eyes, I am precious too.

-          Poem read by Eugene Wong, a graduate of KJTC, at a graduation ceremony.

Most senior citizens lead a quiet and tranquil life after retirement. A visit to a Kiwanis Job Training Centre (KJTC) in Petaling Jaya  revealed that a few seniors still enjoy an active lifestyle.

            Set up in late 1996, KJTC is operated by the Kiwanis Club of Metro-Kuala Lumpur (KC-MKL).  It provides training to a selected group of teenagers and adults (ages 15 to 40) diagnosed as ‘persons with learning difficulties’ (PLD’s).  The main purpose is to train these PLD’s with basic job skills to enable them to be gainfully employed.

            Trainees go to this centre from 9 am to 4.30 pm.  Besides academic skills of speech and verbal concepts, the trainees are taught self-help, social and personal adjustment, daily routine and vocational skills. 

            During my visits, I found them busy packing, sealing, sorting and cataloguing. It was work provided by Malaysia Milk and Apex Furniture Company.

            There is a feeling of joy among the trainees. They smile and joke with each other as they go about their work.  Compared to a lonely life in their own homes, the trainees find the KJTC a centre of hope.

        “I learn to be independent here and I make many friends,” said Caroline, 21.

        “I like the work here and I have a lot of friends,” remarked Jackson, 21.

        “I like the training here.  I learn how to behave myself,” said Sok Kuan, 20.

At the end of two years, the trainees graduate and the centre helps to secure employment for them.

Currently, this centre has 32 trainees.  It has produced two batches of graduates who are now working in various companies like KFC, Autoliv Hirotako, Total Image, hotels etc.  It is hoped that more companies will come forward to offer jobs to the trainees when they graduate.

            This centre is managed by three capable employees; Miss Goh, Doris and Miss Sharon.  Volunteers like Miss Teh, Betty, Jenny, Madam Keng and trainees’ parents often lend a helping hand.  All, with the exception of Sharon, are retirees or senior citizens.

Miss Goh, the director, is a retired nurse.  She helped to set up the centre with

the help of Malaysian Care.

Miss Goh in 2001

 “I gave myself two years but I’m still here in my fifth year.  The trainees grow on you and I feel love and compassion for them as the years go by,” said Goh.

She feels that there is a great need to help persons with learning disabilities. “Every individual is different, each with different disability and different ways of solving problems.  You have to understand them and know what they are going through,” she added.

Goh takes care of the administration but she is more like a supermum in her other roles as mother, teacher, disciplinarian and friend.

“She is strict but fair,” said all her trainees.  Her sense of humour endears her to them as she can joke and play with them during social outings or birthday parties. It takes great patience and someone with a big heart to work with these trainees.  A former psychiatric nurse, Goh fits this role very well.

            Doris, a homemaker with a pleasant personality, joined the staff this year.  She was a volunteer with Life Chapel where she worked with persons with learning difficulties for many years.  Quiet and unassuming, she is like a mother to the trainees as she supervises and teaches them with care and patience.

            Sharon, on the other hand, is like a friend to the trainees.   She takes them for outings during the weekends sometimes.  Besides supervising, she teaches work ethics like employer-employee relationships, EPF rights and other job-related activities.

The President of KJTC, Kiwanian Cecelia, goes to the centre often.  She supports and encourages the staff in every way. 

The president of KC-MKL, Mr. Lim, has many plans for the future.  One is a seminar on July 21 where speakers (doctors and a psychologist) will touch on topics suitable for parents of PLD’s. On October 6, there will be a fund-raising project in the Palace of Golden Horses in Kuala Lumpur during the Octoberfest celebration.  He hopes the public will support this event.

It is not all work and no play at the centre.  Once a month the trainees celebrate their birthdays.  Occasionally they have outings to the zoo, Sunway Lagoon and KLCC. Sometimes they even go on sponsored trips to Genting Highlands and onboard Star Cruise ships.

KJTC accepts new trainees. If you have family or friends who have children with learning difficulties, you are welcome to take them there. The fee is RM 100 per month and lunch is not provided.

Goh is very happy when her trainees find employment.  She feels that employers  need to be tolerant and patient to accept the trainees as they are and should not set too high standards. 

“It would be good if the employers could get their personnel to train these employees right from the beginning. 

“The management needs to educate its own staff too so that there is a concerted effort from everyone to support and help these graduates contribute to society,” said Goh.  The objective is to help the trainees help themselves. 

Goh and her team find great satisfaction in the centre.  With their wealth of knowledge and experience, they are a source of inspiration and motivation to the trainees.

Seniors, do come to the centre and help in any way you can.  The trainees love visitors.  Donations are welcome too.  For more information, call Miss Goh (Tel: 03-79543361 or 012-6582992.

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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspaper) on July 2nd, 2001.

Update in 2016:

KJTC (under the management of Kiwanis Club of Metro KL)  is now at
174, Jalan 17/2, Section 17, Petaling Jaya. The President is Robert Ng.


 The Director, Miss Goh, is still actively working there, with David Wong and Doris.

Miss Goh in 2016

Currently there are 14 trainees. Trainees pack KFC tissue packs, as well as straws for a " Drinks" company, mainly nutritious fruity juices.Trainees are paid between Rm 50 to Rm 100.

Below are photos of current trainees in 2016. 

Anyone who has children with learning difficulties, kindly send them to the centre.

Any company that wishes to outsource any jobs, please contact Miss Goh.

The KJTC centre needs funds to run its centre. It is currently organising a Golf Tournament to raise funds.

Details of the Golf Tournament:

Date: May 19th 2016, Thursday

Venue: Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Golf & Country Club

Green fees: Rm 350 (includes lunch, breakfast, T-shirt, buggy, insurance.

Sponsorship and donations are very much appreciated.

Advertisement in souvenir programme: Half page:Rm 500

                                                                Full page: Rm 1000

                                                                Inside book: Rm 3000

                                                                Back cover: Rm 5000

Please make cheques payable to: Kiwanis Club of Metro KL
For further enquiries, please contact: Miss Goh at 0379543361 or 0126582992

Dr C Devendra: Always on the go

Dr Canagasaby Devendra

Doubling beef production. This headline in a local daily caught my attention. The story was about the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries studying a proposal to integrate oil palm plantations with cattle-rearing to double beef production.   

The article reminded me of a renowned senior Malaysian scientist – Dr Canagasaby Devendra, 70, who is a member of the committee on National Livestock Development in the Ministry.


He is a good example of a person who is way past retirement age but is still active in his chosen field of specialisation.   

A specialist in animal nutrition and animal production systems, he has worked in Malaysia and throughout Asia. He was a consultant to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme and the Food and Agricultural Organisation.  
“Working with, and being able to serve, many national agricultural systems, gives me much satisfaction,” said Devendra.  

There have been many professional challenges for him. “The most engaging one is the contribution to new knowledge – to have it accepted and endorsed by one’s peers is wonderful. The sharing and dissemination of information is an important part of the research process.”   

When asked how the high-tech younger generation can learn from the experiences and expertise of senior scientists, he said: “For the research scientist, the important prerequisites are reading, writing and communication in the context of commitment to purpose. It is equally important to recognise other tenets. Research must be relevant and needs-based. It is dynamic and must lend itself to constant critique. It must drive development. Research results are the purview of all mankind.”   

Being interested in goat meat and milk, I asked him about their nutritional value. “Goat meat is leaner than mutton or beef. Goat’s milk has anti-allergic properties and a higher proportion of small fat globules. It is often recommended for people allergic to cow’s milk and who suffer from gastro-intestinal disorders,” he said.

“Goat’s milk has more essential amino acids, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and medium chain triglycerides which are all beneficial to health,” continued Devendra. 

How does Devendra unwind?    

      

“I enjoy reading, writing and travel,” he enthused. He is a prolific writer and is the author of 15 books and over 400 publications, mostly published internationally. Two of his most prominent books published in Britain are: Goat Production in the Tropics and Goat and Sheep Production in the Tropics.  

He is also a sports enthusiast. He played cricket, hockey and badminton in his younger days, and now follows live telecasts of these sports.  

Devendra hails from Kuala Lumpur where he had his primary and secondary education. He has always been keen on biological sciences. He holds a degree in agricultural science from Lincoln University, New Zealand, a Master’s degree from Universiti Malaya, and a PhD from the University of Nottingham, Britain.   

He started his career as a lecturer at the College of Agriculture, Malaysia (1963-66), and then as animal nutritionist at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad (1969-71). Between 1971 and 1984, he worked as Principal Research Officer in the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, focusing on fundamental and applied animal nutrition projects.  

From 1984 to 1994, he served as Senior Programme Officer for the Animal Production Systems (Asia) programme at the Canadian International Development Research Centre in Singapore. He participated in over 80 research projects in 13 Asian countries, Latin America and Africa.   

He was a member of the sub-committee on Animal Nutrition for the United States National Research Council and tasked with producing a study on “Nutrient Requirements for Goats”.   

From 1995 to 2002, he served as senior associate with the International Livestock Research Institute, and managed the crop-animal systems network project in China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.   

He has received many awards in recognition of his efforts. He was the first Asian to receive the International Dairy Production Award from the American Dairy Science Association (1989). He was also the recipient of the Medal of Honour from the Minister of Agriculture in Vietnam (1991), Lincoln University International Alumni Medal from New Zealand (2004), and the Asian Animal Science Award from South Korea (2004). He is a Fellow of the Malaysian Society of Animal Production.

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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspaper) on 5th September 2005.

Currently, in 2016, Dr Devendra is still actively involved in writing and publishing.

Update in 2017:

On 16th September 2017, in Starmetro, an article by Priya Menon reported that the Malaysian Scientific Association (MSA), honoured Malaysian scientists over the age of 80 who are still conributing towards the advancement of Science, at an Awards Nite 2017. Dr Canagasaby Devendra was one of the recipients for the Senior Member Certificate of Recognition.

Quoting Priya Menon: "Dr Canagasaby, who specialised in animal production systems and the environment, believes sharing knowledge is important. This belief has kept him going and he has built a name for himself in the windows of opportunity that have come his way. His main concern has been in improving the nation's ability to increase food production through the use of natural resources with community-based participation from farmers."

"Dr Canagasaby has written 24 books and about 500 publications. He said that Science must provide solutions to growing challenges and demands in an environment of reduced resoirces and diminishing funding." 

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