MWH Wish For Home

Adoption of Rooms

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MWH appreciates any kind gestures in cash and kind. We welcome individuals / corporations to join us in our effort to provide for the children in need.

We thank the respective donors for their kind sponsors and we have indicated the rooms available for adoption:

Level 1

1. Tuition Room - Stephanie Ho & Jaime Koh, The History Workroom

2. Main Counseling Room - Jamil Yusak

3. Computer Corner - taken, name to be confirmed

4. Parent Visit Room - available

5. Parent Support Group Room - Arfat Selvam, Arfat Selvam Alliance LLC

6. Rehab Admin Office - available

7. Reception Area - available

8. Logistic Office - available

9. Conference Room - Yang Mariam Pichey

10. Dining Area - available

11. Locker Area (for the boys) - available

12. Prayer Hall - Hasan Marican, 2nd Chance Properties, Jamil Yusak (items)

13. Sick Bay - taken, name to be confirmed

14. Futsal court - Singapore Malays Football Club

15. Field - Singapore Malays Football Club

16. Community Garden - National Parks Board (NParks)

Level 2

13 dormitories - available

Level 3

1. Computer Room - taken, name to be confirmed

2. Library - taken, name to be confirmed

3. Volunteer Room - available

4. Study Room 1 - available

5. Study Room 2 - available

6. Study Room 3 - available

7. Study Room 4 - available

8. Activity Room 1 - Fairies At Work

9. Activity Room 2 - available

10. Activity Room 3 - available

11. Music Room - Albert Chong

12. Therapeutic / Dance Room - available

13. Arts Room - taken, name to be confirmed

MWH Plans in the next 3 years

2009-10-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

1. To increase residents capacity, shelter up to 120 boys in the new premise

2. To provide outreach programmes to neighbouring secondary and tertiary students as sn extension of goodwill

3. To colloborate more actively with the other government agencies in providing a wider scope of enrichment programmes for the youth and children

4. To offer social support to the other youth, children & their respective families facing crisis in life, regardless of race and faith

5. To develop staff expertise through constant upgrading and specialised training

6. To expand the scope of volunteer management

Bye Bye Mountbatten

2009-10-12T02:19:00.001-07:00

About 'Wish For Home'

2009-10-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

Muhammadiyah Welfare Home (MWH). Not many have heard of it and some may not be aware of its existence. Located at the junction of Mountbatten and Fort Road, the ‘colonial’ pre-war 2-storey bungalow building has devotedly sheltered almost 600 children from broken
families over the last 20 years.

Take a walk around the compound and you would observe that age has taken its toll on the
structures. The roof where the children sleep leaks whenever it rains. Remedy work does not
last long before the dilapidated roof gives way again. The frayed wooden doors and tattered
floors appear vulnerable to any form of hard thumps.

Currently housing 60 boys, MWH is sorely congested. Space is a constraint. The Home is
not able to take in and care for more children and has to turn away those who are in need of
dire protection. Besides, the current residents do not have the privilege of an adequate
classroom for revision. The open dining area is treated as a study area during tuition time.
School-going children are conditioned to wakeup as early as 4.30am to take turns to use the
washroom. This is because only 3 bathing areas are available to provide for 45 school-goers. For
some attending schools as far as in Woodlands and Boon Lay, they have to scuttle to catch the
first morning bus to the nearest MRT station so as not to be late for school. “This is real. It has
been a challenging daily routine activity for the boys”, as acknowledged by the staff themselves.

For several years, MWH management has tried to relocate MWH to a new premise, with not much success. However, with the help of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports (MCYS), MWH is granted a new premise at the former Min Xin Primary School in 07. Hope and intense joy filled the air as the long-awaited wish seems to finally arrived. Unfortunately, the shift to the new site is hampered by the lack of funds to support the renovation and the restoration work.

The final project cost is $3,087,500. After MCYS funding, remaining costs to be borne by MWH: $499,500

Realising the poignant predicament that MWH faces, MWH volunteers initiated a fund raising project, in support for a better environment for the children. Thus, this is how ‘Wish for Home 2009’ comes about. A volunteer driven project to support the worthy cause.

MWH Project Advisors

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Shaik Hussain Shaik Yacob

Ustaz Shaik Hussain is the President of Muhammadiyah Association, a post he held since 1983. Under his leadership, the organisation grew by leaps and bounds, and today is a highly regarded Islamic NGO. Truly a visionary, he was instrumental in the setting up of key Muhammadiyah educational and social institutions, including MWH. As the President, he doubles up Chairman of the Management Committees for all these institutions.
For the last 25 years, Ustaz Hussain has dedicated his life to bring Muhammadiyah to where it is today.

Mohamed Gazali Alistar

A former Hub Manager of a renowned US courier company, Gazali was elected as the Association’s General Secretary in 2003. Ever since, he has dedicated his time and efforts to ensure the smooth running of the organisation, its institutions and business arm.His appointment automatically made him the secretary for the Management Committees under the purview of Muhammadiyah.

With his vast experience, Gazali plays a crucial role to ensure the Muhammadiyah remain abreast with the ever changing world.

Shaik Mohd Iqbal

Iqbal is a senior producer with Mediacorp. Currently, he is the editor of DETIK, a weekly current affairs programme aired on the SURIA Channel. Occasionally, he reports for Channel News Asia.

As a volunteer, Iqbal has been a Muhammadiyah EXCO member for over a decade. He also sits in the Management Committee of Muhammadiyah institutions, including MWH.Iqbal has been Muhammadiyah's representative to several community-based organisations. Of noteworthy, as member of Mendaki Board of Directors, and EXCO member, TAA Foundation.

Arfat Selvam

Arfat is an Advocate & Solicitor and the Managing Director of a law practice, Arfat Selvam Alliance LLC.
Arfat has made significant contributions to the community at large. She was one of the founder members and still serves on the Executive Committee of Breast Cancer Foundation. She is President of Muslim Financial Planning Association. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation Ltd.
One of her community efforts includes mentoring an abused child of MWH since 1994 and continues to guide her until today. The story of the former resident will be featured in ‘Many Roads Home’. The former resident is currently pursuing a degree course, sponsored by her employer company.

Koay Peng Yen

Peng Yen is a senior corporate executive who has been based in China, U.S., and Singapore. He is an executive board member of a maritime, logistics, offshore, and ocean engineering conglomerate.

Peng Yen strongly believes in corporate social responsibility and caring for the community. He has supported various voluntary organizations (locally and overseas) in his corporate and personal capacity.

Peng Yen is a writer to one of the stories in ‘Many Roads Home’.

Mohamad Helmy Mohd Isa

Helmy is the Assistant Director (Mosques) for MUIS / Islamic Religious Council Singapore for Mosque Policy & Planning Strategic Unit. All the mosques in Singapore come under his purview. He is the former Head for MUIS Youth Engagement & Strategic Unit and had been the key strategist for various youth activities and programmes in the mosques.

Helmy is an active volunteer in the Fellowship of Muslim Students Association (FMSA) since his schooling days. He actively trains youth in leadership courses.Helmy is a close friend of MWH. He has known MWH since 1996 and has mentored several children of the Home. They still keep in contact till today.In fact, Helmy suggested to document the lives of the children of MWH and their success stories. He also proposed to include the chapter on significant people who have made tremendous contributions to the Home during its 20 years of service. Thereon, he continues to follow the progress of the project.

Mohamad Azmi Shahbudin

Azmi currently works at the National Parks Board (NParks) as Head of Community In Bloom programme, a 3P outreach program that aims to foster greater community involvement in our urban greenery. Azmi oversees a team of consultants who provide guidance to community groups in the planning and organising of community-based greening projects in residential estates, schools and organizations. He also organizes initiatives that help ensure the sustainability of such projects.Through his work and spare time, he regularly engages with volunteers, grassroots organizations, schools, educationists, charities, corporations and environmental groups, where he advocates building links between different segments of the community, using our natural affinity towards greenery as a catalyst to bring people closer.

Azmi is a graduate of the National University of Singapore. His involvement at MWH happened by chance and arose out of his curiosity to learn more about its rehab programme. He was drawn in by MWH’s sincerity and high level of commitment towards wanting to change lives.As a father of two school-going children, he finds pleasure in reading history, and researching on the development of human society around plants and greenery. Having been born and raised in a village, he is a firm believer in fostering social wellbeing through rekindling community spirit and self-help – ‘Gotong Royong’.

Fadzuli Wahab

Fadzuli is a young Internet Entrepreneur. He is ‘one of Asia’s leading entrepreneurs in small/medium sized business’ (as quoted by The Asia Business Investor Podcast in May 09). He owns 3 businesses.

One of those is a trading business marketing Sabun Taharah @ http://www.sabunsertu.com/. He is the founder of IslamicSG Networks LLP which owns Islamic portals like http://www.islamicevents.sg/, http://www.islamicjobs.sg/ and many more – they are one-stop online portals to promote events from the various Muslim organizations/activities in Singapore. He is also a consultant to Abang Abu - http://www.abangabu.com/, http://www.nowasia.sg/, to Sujimy Mohd (http://www.sujimy.com/ & http://www.sungguh.com/) and many more.
He has recently started a Virtual Internet Specialist Course to train participants to be online marketeers and to support company online marketing campaigns to go Global.Fadzuli is a member of the Malay Chamber of Commerce.

Fadzuli, out of goodwill, uses his IT knowledge to serve and benefit the Muslim community at large, by providing a common online avenues to market and promote their services/activities.

Appeal for Community Support

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An Appeal for
community
support
towards MWH
‘Wish for
Home 2009’

by Chairman, MWH Management Committee Shaik Hussain Shaik Yacob

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Twenty years have past since Muhammadiyah Association embarked
on this journey to manage a Welfare Home for children coming from
broken homes. We started with nothing more than a conviction to help
children-in-crisis at their time of need. Since then, MWH has grown
from strength to strength, and close to 600 children have passed
through its gates and benefited from the Home’s comprehensive care
and education programme.

Of course, crucial to MWH success is the strong support
Muhammadiyah has received for the past 2 decades – be it from the
Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports (MCYS), the
Courts, other VWOs, schools, individual volunteers and donors, as well
as corporate sponsors and foundations. It is this continuous trust and
support for the Home that emboldens Muhammadiyah to relocate MWH
to Bedok North, at the cost of $2.65 million. Thanks to MCYS which
will underwrite 90% of the refurbishment costs, Muhammadiyah needs
to raise another $500,000 by the end of 2009. It is an unenviable task,
given the context of today’s economy, but we are confident, that with
everyone’s support, God willing, this can be achieved.

No contribution is considered too small, be it outright cash, donation in
kind, or volunteering your time and effort. Every help we can get is
precious, and will go a long way in our endeavour to provide a better
facility, a better programme, a better Home for the children in need
under our care. With this move, it will give us more opportunities to
extend our services to help children at risk from various backgrounds.
Like us, they too are counting on your support for this Wish For Home
project.

Please Help us to help them.