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January 30, 2006
Down -Helping Hands: One-stop centre for rehabilitating the disabled
Stephen Ng
Jan 29:
KIOKU isn’t Japanese despite the way it sounds. Instead, it is a homegrown
non-governmental organisation committed to serving the needs of disabled
persons, particularly those who are wheelchair-bound.
Its name is the Malay acronym for Perkhidmatan Keluarga Interaksi
Orang-orang Kurang Upaya, or the Services for the Whole Family and People
with Disabilities.
Under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,
Kioku’s main objective is to build bridges between disabled people from
various societies and members of the public.
“We are a fully voluntary service without racial, religious or political
bias,” said its president Chris Thasan, who is wheelchair-bound himself.
“Our earnest hope and cry is for the public to recognise and support the
disabled in their struggles, efforts and determination to continue living
an ordinary life, and strive for better quality of life. Please lend us
a helping hand to help the disabled community.”
Under the Constitution, a person with disabilities is a full citizen. Said
Thasan: “We want to be treated with dignity. Sympathy is not what we are
looking for, but the opportunity to live our lives to the fullest like any
other citizens.”
One way of achieving its objectives is by organising the Kioku Family Day.
“Our role is mainly to give motivation and to raise the spirits of the
disabled people,” said Thasan. “We seek to improve the perception of
society towards the disabled community as a whole, being disabled persons
ourselves.”
Every year, the Kioku Family Day is organised to bring together the
disabled people, their family members and members of the public. Said
Thasan: “We are looking for a main sponsor to support our Family Day this
year which will be held in September,” he said.
“At the same time, we are looking for investors who are willing to help
start up small workshops for the disabled people to do tailoring and
repairing of television sets.
“We are providing training for the disabled people to help them live as
independent people,” he said. “We urge members of the public to look into
the transportation problems faced by our disabled friends.”
In July 2004, Kioku started its One-Stop Centre in Taman Sri Sentosa for
the rehabilitation of the disabled people. The centre provides advice,
counselling and assistance for other technical problems faced by disabled people.
Kioku’s One-Stop Centre is located at Taman Sri Sentosa, Jalan Kelang
Lama, Kuala Lumpur. Chris Thasan can be contacted at (016) 360-3527 or
(03) 7782-7640.
* If you are running a charitable institution, or know of one that needs
help, send details to smail@nstp. com.my or fax (03) 2284-9133.
** Note: The welfare bodies featured in this column are run by
organisations or individuals who want to make a difference. However,
the publication of these homes does not mean that they are endorsed by
Sunday Mail. Volunteers and well-wishers are encouraged to check out
the homes themselves before offering any assistance.
Posted by jicafriends at January 30, 2006 04:39 PM