Twestival Kuala Lumpur 2013 raising money for PKKI!

Twestival Kuala Lumpur is back for 2013!

Wait, what is Twestival? In short, it’s a global movement to raise money for selected charities. The Kuala Lumpur team (which I’m proud to be part of) have been doing it since 2009, raising money for:

• 2009: Destiny Starting Point, Klang, a home juvenile delinquents. RM11K raised
• 2010: Concern Worldwide, International education NGO. RM3,000 raised (globally raised USD450,000)
• 2011: PRIHATIN, Kota Bahru. A NGO for single mothers and children with HIV/AIDS. RM26K raised
• 2012: Took a break
• 2013: Wahey, we’re back!! It’s Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Hulu Langat (PKKI) this year!

Organising small-scale Twestival KL events is still tiring and stressful as we do it on top of our day jobs. But it is very fulfilling (and humbling), and I learned so much throughout the years! I am continuously amazed by the talent of our team and the generosity of our community.

It’s a global rule that all Twestival charity-drives have to be sponsored from A-Z. This means, no organization/ hosting/ F&B costs – ALL monies raised go direct to the charity. We do not get paid – in fact we pay for our own tickets to the events.

So to put it simply, it ain’t easy. That’s why we don’t do it all the time 😉 But the amazing team always pulls through, and your generosity – both as a company or individual sponsor allows us to give as much cash as we can raise to the charities.

Thank you! (mwah mwah mwah)

Twestival KL 2013

This year we’re raising funds for Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Hulu Langat (PKKI)! Our event will be at:

Date : 7th December 2013 (Saturday
Time : 2 – 6pm
Venue : The Bee, Publika

Tickets are available at a minimum of RM50 donation. If you purchase three, you’ll get a special limited-edition Moleskine from @cziplee with the Twestival KL logo printed on it!

Find out more: *link*. If you want tickets, I have some left so hurry up and ask! =D

About PKKI

(long story ahead okay!)

Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Hulu Langat (PKKI) is a day training centre for children with special needs. They are currently in two houses in Taman Cuepacs, Cheras. Some kids attend daily classes like you would in a school, and some go for therapy sessions.

Shirley telling us about PKKI

Nearly 25 years ago, Ms Shirley Tan’s daughter Steffi was born with severe cerebral palsy. And so she was thrust into a world of initial helplessness, doctors who told her that there was no more hope, and a bleak future as they claimed that Steffi would not live past 10 years old.

Determined to provide the best for Steffi, Shirley quit her job and learned to drive so she could ferry her daughter to therapy sessions. When Steffi turned 6, they had to stop going to Wisma Harapan as it was the cut-off age.

“What are we going to do?”

In desperation, Shirley and some parents set up PKKI to cater for their own children and more. As the government encourages parents to take the reins, they were given a RM5000 grant to start off with. After that they were on their own.

Today, PKKI hosts 92 children with different special needs to cater to. They have 22 staff including teachers, therapists and administrative. They also hired a full-time driver as many of the parents could not send their children to the centre for their classes or therapy sessions.

Children’s artwork on display

Parents pay RM120 a month as a form of commitment. For parents who can’t even afford the monthly sum, PKKI helps to source for sponsors. It helps to offset PKKI’s monthly expenses which runs to nearly RM50,000.

On caring for children with special needs

PKKI is very labour-intensive, as is the nature when working with children with special needs. Just ask Shirley.

“It is a 24 hour job of care with no respite. With my late daughter, I took more than an hour to feed her at every meal. Some children have to be exercised daily to loosen their muscles, otherwise they would stiffen up like a piece of wood and the damage is almost irreversible. You also have to spend extra time with the children, as they are always scared that they would be abandoned. Special needs children have a heightened sense of insecurity,” Shirley said.

A child undergoing a session to strengthen her neck muscles

“An ex-student’s mother had two strokes while taking care of him. She was left with no choice but to put him in a home. You know it is sad, but she was not able to take care of herself let alone a child with special needs. Three months later, he died in the home.”

“A lot of people do not know what to do with special needs children. I don’t want the parents to go through what I went through; I want to give people hope, especially the parents who were told that there’s no more hope or help left.”

What’s next for PKKI?

PKKI’s next project is a one-stop centre in Taman Mahkota Cheras. With the new centre, they would be able to take in more children and cater for more therapy and activities. Already there is a long waiting list and requests for PKKI to accept more students.

Shirley showing us plan for the one-stop centre

The existing two houses in Taman Cuepecs would be converted into care homes for the children where they could live for the rest of their lives. After all their parents would grow old and pass on. In many cases, there would be no one left to take care of their children.

We ask Shirley what keeps her going. She smiled,

“I lost my daughter in 2010. She was 21 years old when she passed on. Last month, my husband passed away. My nearest and dearest are now gone. But if I’m still useful here, I want to contribute.”

“I’m not young you know, I’m 65 years old. But if I’m still healthy, I want to carry on. I want to let the parents know that they are not alone.”

“Some doctors tell them that if the kids do not walk between 4 to 6 years old, then they will never walk and there’s no more hope left. Well some of our students started walking at 9 years old! What do you say to that?” She grinned, a glimmer of triumph in her eyes.

Shirley with some of us: Niki, me, Grace and Ling!

Personally, I’m in awe of the woman. So strong, so determined! 🙂

How to support Twestival KL?

• Join our 7th December event at The Bee! *link*
• Participate in our sponsored auction! *link*
• Donate to PKKI via Twestival KL! Ask me how!
• Help us spread the word! Share this post on Facebook, Twitter, e-mail etc!

ALL monies raised will go to PKKI. You can get latest Twestival KL updates via Facebook or Twitter.

Got a question? Ask me! =D