KUALA LUMPUR: About 40 special children accompanied by adults will gather tomorrow near the waterfront of the city’s oldest mosque, Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad, to participate in an art competition.
The event, “Kinder Arts by Special Artists”, is organised by the Caring Cluster Foundation and will be held from 9.30am to 1.00pm on the pavement of the River of Life, said to be among the world’s top 10 waterfronts.
The foundation’s pro-tem chairman Michael Plascow said it was established to raise awareness of autism, and to help special children and their families meet their needs.
“We comprise professionals, including doctors, lawyers, academicians and autism experts in Malaysia who have dedicated themselves to helping special children.
“This event marks a significant moment as it is the first art competition of its kind to be held at the city’s iconic site.”
Plascow said a group of musicians, who regularly perform at the River of Life, will also entertain the crowd, children and their parents. Our objective is to create awareness of autism and its needs.
“Children with autism greatly benefit from using art as therapy. It enhances their communication skills through the expression of ideas and emotions.”
He said the competition’s goal is to show everyone that a child with a disability can be highly gifted and very much loved like any other.
“Through competitions such as this, we hope to create an awareness and better perception of special people and their disabilities.
“The art competition is part of a series of projects that the foundation plans to organise in the coming months to raise awareness and funds to help the children and their families,” he said.
