Some 20 elderly individuals are facing a bleak future and may lose the only shelter they have as the welfare home they live in is in dire straits and requires urgent funds, and is on the brink of closing down. Wong Seok Fung, 47, founded Ci Ai Welfare (CAW) in 2020, with its objective being to care for the elderly.
“We provide shelter and care for them as best we can. Some of the elderly are unable to be accommodatedfor long-term care in government facilities as they are comatose. Private facilities cost too much and their families cannot afford to bear the expenses. “We are on the verge of closing down as our funds have dried up, while expenses to look after the elderly and maintain the home has gone up too,” she said. Wong added that she used to receive funds from a nun in Johor Bahru, but she has since set up an NGO and is unable to continue assisting CAW. “We are grateful to the nun for her contributions. But after she set up her NGO, she informed us that we would have to find our own funding. This came as shock as we were not expecting the news to come so suddenly, and we panicked.” She said CAW has been facing financial problems for a year and had tried its best to care for the elderly with funds donated to it from time to time by well-wishers. However, it does not receive regular donations. (Pic) Wong assisting two residents during meal time at the home. MASRY CHE ANI THESUN
