FUNDRAISING FOR RUMAH NUR SALAM

Dear ALL,

Nur Salam and Friends will be holding a fundraiser at Carlos, Pavillion on July 11, 2009, to build an autonomous school for stateless children.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude for your support and interest in Nur Salam, and welcome pre- event interviews with your publication. We would appreciate an audience with you sometime soon to further discuss the event and allow you to get to know us! Allow us to elaborate further so you would have an inkling of what we are raising funds for.

Nur Salam is a 24 hour activity centre and 'safehouse' that provides a safe, healthy and loving environment for all children under the age of 18, living in and around the Chow Kit area of KL. Children registered at Nur Salam are given food, shelter and can participate in educational, health and recreational programs that otherwise may not
be accessible to them. Therapists come to the centre every week to work with children in need of counseling. We have volunteers who come in to read to the children in English, and others who organize recreational outings to performances or local attractions.

Over 400 children are currently enrolled at Nur Salam, about 40 to 100 of whom come to the centre on a given day. Most children come after school and on weekends, but as of May 2009, there are 8 children who stay full time in the dormitory space. The majority of children are originally from Chow Kit, but there are also children who have come to the area from other parts of Malaysia, who may have been trafficked, or who may be refugees. Most children come from one-parent homes, and many are the children of sex workers and/or drug addicts. In addition, many of the children do not have documents such as birth certificates or identity cards; some are stateless and unable to attend regular schools.

Together with the Malaysia Think Tank and other community partners, we are planning to build a nonprofit, private primary school for children in Kuala Lumpur. This school will be open to all children, so that stateless and refugee children can receive an education, in accordance with their rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

On June 20, 2009, some friends have kindly agreed to organise a party to benefit the school at III Lounge. We are looking for support to bear the costs of drinks, food and entertainment, and of course all proceeds from the night will go to the school. We hope to raise RM50,000 for the school.


If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to call Dr. Hartini Zainudin at 012 2951818 or Dina Zaman at 0123837398/dina.zaman@gmail.com for more information.


Addendum:

Nur Salam grew out of a collaboration between Pusat Aktiviti Kanak-Kanak (PAKK) Chow Kit, under the Department of Welfare (Wilayah), and Yayasan Salam Malaysia. PAKK was originally a day care centre following the national model, but the needs of Chow Kit were not adequately served by a centre open only from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The collaboration with Yayasan Salam allowed the centre to be open 24 hours every day, and to provide programs for all children in and around the Chow Kit area. The expanded centre is now known as Nur Salam, with PAKK a key partner.