Projects help urban poor, disabled earn a living

A woman popped up from behind him and warmly invited this writer in. She walked with a cane, hobbling as she did so.

"I apologise for the state of our house. This is what the home of two disabled people look like," said Jaya Letchumy Rasalingam in fluent Malay.

Despite her apology, the small one-bedroom unit they lived in looked tidy. At one side of the livingroom was what appeared to be a dedicated corner for sewing.

Jaya Letchumy and her husband Mageswaran Veerapan, both 41, have been actively participating in the blanket-sewing project by the Kechara Soup Kitchen Society (KSK), aimed at helping the urban poor generate extra income.

"Kechara does not only teach us sewing. They also provided sewing machines, sewing supplies and fabric," she told Bernama, showing the pieces of fabric she had sewn together.

"My husband helps too, but he makes doormats. We may be disabled, but there are still things that we can do. Where there's a will, there's a way," she said, describing another of KSK's project which involved recycling hotel blankets into doormats.

Mageswaran smiled at his wife's positivity.

"It is difficult to find work when you are wheelchair-bound and your wife has to take care of you even though she has difficulty walking as well.

"Both of us studied only until we obtained our SRPs (Lower Certificate of Education). We are fortunate to be able to join this project by Kechara. It has enabled us to earn money ourselves and be less dependent on others," said Mageswaran in a rather thick Kedah Malay dialect. He hailed from Bedong, Kedah, while Jaya was from Selayang, Kuala Lumpur.

Jaya's cheery and playful personality belied the adversity she had endured.

She was not born disabled. A fall from the third floor of a factory she worked at when she was 18 had broken her spine and both arms, fractured the bone in her legs and shattered a heel.

"After three surgeries in two years, I became paralysed from waist down. It was only after my fourth surgery and physiotherapy exercises that I was able to walk with the aid of a walking frame," she explained.

Her husband, meanwhile, lost his mobility at age 19 after falling from a coconut tree while assisting a neighbour at his village.

"Not only was my spine broken, but the nerves severed too. As a result, I am wheelchair-bound for life. I would love to work but there isn't many opportunities for someone like me. So I came to KL, enrolled in a training centre and learned what I can," said Mageswaran.

The pair married 11 years ago. They met while undergoing training at the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang. After several months of friendship, they decided to tie the knot.

Today, the couple lives at Level 12 of the Seri Kelantan Public Housing in Jalan Sentul Pasar.

They are recipients of a monthly allowance by the Community Welfare Department. KSK has also helped with their groceries for the past few years.

Unfortunately for Mageswaran, a hit-and-run accident in 2010 left him in a worse condition than after the fall when he was 19.

Until today, he is still being treated for bedsores.

"The income I earn from sewing blankets can at least cover the expenses of my husband's medication," said Jaya.

Prior to the accident, the couple had been making a living selling stationery and items used in Hindu worship. They were on their way home from work one day when a car hit their motorcycle, which was made for disabled people.

Mageswaran was bedridden for sometime as he sustained fractured legs and tissue damage in the accident. This eventually resulted in pressure ulcers (bedsores).

"It is definitely difficult to get to a hospital or anywhere else in his condition. But if you want to live, you have to keep on trying. Everyone has problems and there are always those who are much worse off.

"I have sewn 15 blankets so far and am thrilled to be able to earn a living. I now plan on paying it forward by teaching my neighbours' children how to make doormats," she said.

Another participant of the blanket-sewing project was Devi Sinnathurai, 39.

She lived with her husband Ragunathan Batumalai, 43, and 11 children at the Desa Rejang People's Housing Project in Setapak, here. Ragunathan works as a security guard.

Devi, who joined the project five months ago, said that she no longer had to ask her husband for money for the needs of her children aged between one and 18 years old.

"I hope that I can keep this job, I want to learn how to sew curtains and clothes," she said, adding that it took her two weeks to learn sewing.

Her 17-year-old daughter would occassionally help out with the sewing when Devi was busy cooking or attending to her other children.

When asked if another sewing machine would help in increasing the output, Devi said that it was not necessary.

"If there is an available sewing machine, let it go to someone else who needs it to earn an income. Furthermore, education should be the priority for my children," she said.

Her eldest child completed Form 5 last year. Four of her children are in secondary school, three in primary school while the rest are not of schoolgoing age yet.

"We want our children to be able to enter college and have a bright future," said Devi, who had sewn five blankets so far.

Project director Justin Cheah said that the projects were introduced in the middle of last year.

It came after the realisation that some of the recipients of KSK's aid had a desire to work and were capable of working from home.

"So, in addition to providing them with monthly groceries, we gave them the opportunity to earn an income. This is not just about helping them earn a living, but making them feel like contributing members of society as well," he explained.

The blanket-sewing project started with five urban poor families while the doormat-making project focuses on helping out homeless people.

The payment for each completed blanket is between RM50 and RM80, depending on size, and for the doormat RM30 each.

The blankets would later be sold for between RM160 and RM250 each and the doormat, RM30.

Today, said Cheah, only 10 of the 15 families who started out were continuing with the project. The other five opted out due to certain problems.

"KSK has received a lot of contribution for sewing machines and other supplies for our projects. In addition to training participants, we also ensure that only participants who are able to product well-made blankets and doormats are accepted.

"This is like the Chinese proverb that says, "Give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime," said Cheah.

In addition to distributing food to the homeless, KSK who had been operating in the country since 2006 also provides groceries to those in need, basic medical assistance through mobile clinics, assists homeless people in getting suitable jobs and rented rooms as well as provides counselling services for them.