Gnanam's Blog

Today is 20/4/2010. I am disbursing earlier than expected the allowances for May 2010 to Gnanam. Presently he is not working as his last employer at the furniture retail outlet at Brem Mall, Kepong opted for full-time staffing instead. Prior to this he was working on weekends to earn a keep.
However Gnanam is hopeful to find some part-time job soon which can fit his study periods :
Tuesdays & Thursdays – 6.30pm to 9.30pm
His college lecturers were able to slot in additional study periods for Gnanam to catch up on his studies :
Wednesdays & Fridays – 10.00am to 2.00pm

If any one would like to offer part-time work to Gnanam, please contact Paul at 012-3799248 or email to lucifer_butler@yahoo.com
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Gnanam informed that YB Lim has written to the welfare office recently; I will get hold of a copy for record purpose soon.
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Gnanam also informed that his late father’s motorcycle has been located at the LDP police station. He hopes to get it back and repair it.I told Gnanam to ask YB Lim’s office to assist in this matter. If anyone can assist in this matter, please email to lucifer_butler@yahoo.com
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An EPSON color printer was puchased by Paul Wong costing RM160.00 and handed to Gnanam today. At least he can optimise the use of his computer for his studies.

Cashflow May 2010

The ideal donation drive as highlighted below has yet to be achievable as of May 2010 as the respond has been low. Dear readers, if any of you could chip in from time to time, any amount collectively goes a long way to easing the financial burdens of Gnanam. I can be contacted at lucifer_butler@yahoo.com.

6-Point Charity Fund Model Based on Compassionate Grounds

Today is 16 March 2010, Tuesday. Thought I’d look up Gnanam to see how he’s getting on. It’s almost 10.00pm…gave him a call on the way out from my office carpark. He had just finished class and on board the bus to catch the commuter train at Pasar Seni (as he had bought a return journey). So I told him I will meet him at Kepong Sentral where he gets down from the train and walk back to his apartment ( a good 40 mins away) if there is no Rapid bus in service at the late hour. It will be the usual 1 hour train ride to Kepong Sentral which means he reaches just before midnight.
Much to my surprise he was on the wrong platform to catch the train and ended up at Pantai Dalam. By then it was almost midnight. Luckily a guy offered to send him to Bangsar LRT where I picked him home as the night taxi would cost him double.
We chatted on the way.

Study-wise : He is managing fine and has made few friends at the college. I reminded him to concentrate on his studies which was a ticket out of the poverty trap.

Work-wise: He is now on part-time basis, working mainly on Saturdays & Sundays, earning RM5.00 per hour. Working hours being 10 hours, he earns roughly RM300.00; sometimes he gets called in to work on weekdays if there is staff shortage. Despite the meagre wages, he is strongwilled to continue working there for the time being.

I asked him if this was the first time he took the wrong train. It was actually his second – the first time he had to walk from Pasar Seni back to Kepong due to late hour & no transport – a time which he took almost 3 hours. I am rather impress with his strong-will to face all odds and to take life positively. If he continues to be committed to self-development, this is one the many cases for society to come forth and help, monetary or otherwise.

posted by: paul wong

I meant to put this up long ago but didn’t get round to it till now…

Elaine Cheh

Date: 17 January 2010

Dear readers,

There has not been further pledges since the last posting.
Hope some of you can help.
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Hi readers, i got round to start the donations pool rolling.
We already have 3 pledges since 12 December 2009.

Do remember that the cashflow analysis is basically a projection of contingency funds which I would like to garner for Gnanam and his siblings. There is no fixed quantum to donate. Do donate from the heart. Many people do not have the financial means to make donations…its okay… if they want to put in a small lumpsum amount too, that’s fine. ANY AMOUNT …CAN DO. No frills.

Perhaps what everyone can do is to create awareness on the plight of people like Gnanam, through word of mouth or their blogs. If any of you are aware of organizations willing to help out please contact paul wong at 012-3799248 or email to lucifer_butler@yahoo.com or pwto23@yahoo.com

I started out with a micro issue…as an initial platform to see through to solutions towards helping Gnanam in particular to get out of the poverty trap and marginalized society. YB Elizabeth Wong’s office has given assurance to arrange study loan scholarships for Gnanam to get better education. From society’s part, we try to ease his financial burden and provide him with a conducive environment to study, pick up his life, get a good job in the future after graduation, fend for his family and give back to society by being involved in community service. Every micro issue tackled with a similar modus operandi goes a long way to a proven track record of problem solving issues at a macro-level.

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Education is the key to building a better society and we, as individuals, have an obligation to help with the education of the less fortunate.

Would you, if you could help underprivileged children?

Here’s a micro issue which I hope you readers could help out.
I am looking for caring civil society, at least 28 people, to co-sponsor Gnanam ( also a talented school soccer player) with a monthly donation of RM50.00 each for one year.
Gnanam completed his PMR (third level) and SPM (fifth level) examinations with commendable excellence whilst in a shelter home for the underprivileged in Melaka during 2000 to 2004. He left the Welfare Home to be with his parents and six other siblings in 2005 but his life was shattered by the recent tragedy which befall his family, his breadwinning father was found dead whilst in police detention. At the time, media was all hype over the cause of death, which till today YB Sivarasa has yet to revert to the family on the status of legal recourse of possible negligence on the part of the police in not according prompt medical attention to the deceased.

Media hype died down….public interest waned….family of deceased virtually “left in isolation” to brave the harshness reality of a cold world.
The burden of providing for his family compelled him to seek employment earning a meagre salary of RM800.00 though he has ambition to further his studies (A-Levels) given the opportunity. The inherent poverty circle marks a bleak future for Gnanam. He need help. Assistance from the welfare authorities has yet to be seen since the demise of his father in mid-June 2009. The underprivileged if not helped are going to fall on to the wrong path and which is not their fault because they have not selected to be poor and bad.
Because society make or breaks as person. Come lets make this world a better place to live in. If any of you – individual or body corporate – can lend a helping hand, financially, on a group effort basis, perhaps we can help Gnanam to have a better tomorrow. By helping Gnanam, he will be able to fend for his family too.

You may contact Paul Wong at 012-3799248 or email to lucifer_butler@yahoo.com for further details.

Gnanam would like to pursue his A-Levels. I have done a simplified cashflow projection of the investment in Gnanam’s A-Levels one-year program with a local college.

YB Elizabeth Wong has kindly looked into procuring a studyloan/scholarship for Gnanam. He is sheduled for the January 2010 intake with a local college in Kuala Lumpur.

I would like to call on members of the public to assist in making some donations for this cause. Please feel free to contact me at +6012-3799248 or email to lucifer_butler@yahoo.com for more details.

Quite simply on behalf of some NGIs, we would like to help this boy for a better future. He has alot on his shoulder to handle. His PMR and SPM results provides a good indicator of his strive for excellence despite all the setbacks of his family life. A small gesture on our part could perhaps give him that chance for a new lease of life.

His stint in the welfare home was primarily due to the parents’ inability to take care of their siblings. Gnanam’s personal attributes/attitudes is vouchable.

Apparently, Gnanam’s mother informed Sekarn that Gnanaprakasam had a motorbike which was detained by the police when the later got arrested. She would have wanted to get the motorbike back but the police station personnel told her that the keys were missing. Till todate, they could not get the bike back.

Also the mother mentioned that when her husband was detained, he had informed the wife that he had with him some cash of about RM3,000 and had wanted to pass to his wife for contingency just in case they need to use money when he was not around. Apparently the cash was part of personal items parted from the detainee and kept under police custody and she could not have access to it. What became of the cash no one knows. Surely this cash would have come in handy to the family especially in hard times where the breadwinner was not around to fend for the family.

When I lost you Dad, part of me died too and though life goes on my heart is still broken. Miss you so so much. Rest In Peace Dad, Always in my heart, Never Forgotten. When we meet again, I will hug you tight and hold you.