Mr Kelvin Wan, 45, is the energetic founder of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Hope Place. The local media has hailed him as Kuching town’s hero.
Mr Wan knows what it is like to go hungry – an experience that set him on his journey of bringing hope to others. In his younger years, he suffered through hunger pangs; surviving only with RM2 each day. This strengthened his resolve to help people in need.
In 2011, he was helping flood victims at an evacuation centre for a few days when a 70-year-old man living in poor living conditions with an elderly wife and two adult daughters with mental illnesses fuelled his drive to help. He began to buy food for them using his own mere income of RM1,200.
From there, he went from supporting one needy household to 15 in three months. This increased the financial burden on Mr Wan and his wife, causing tensions at home.
As it got tough on them and their two children, Mr Wan turned to his friends, church group and customers to share in the financial aid. The response was enthusiastic. While this renewed his sense of purpose, it caused another problem at home. Every evening after work, he would be busy collecting and distributing the donations. And his house had become a storage place for their necessities.
It was his pastor who encouraged him to set up an NGO. In February 2013, Hope Place was officially registered, with a licence from the Registry of Societies Malaysia to provide aid services in areas within 70 km of Kuching.
Mr Wan’s willingness to help, however, has not made things easy for his NGO.
Though he had a committee to vet the cases to support, it was only last year that he employed full-time staff, after conceding that he could not manage everything while still holding his paid job.
Starting with three full-time and three part-time staff, the NGO became more organised. But they have also had to adjust to their boss’ impromptu style and the unexpected work it creates.
“He rarely says no to people … even though, sometimes, the circumstances are beyond our responsibility and capability,” said Hope Place operations manager Heidi Law, 39.
While learning to say no is hard for him to do, he has instituted rules covering the eligibility for continuing benefits, with a standard set of 40 interview questions for potential recipients. These range from information about their background, relatives and income to their means of transport as well as whether they smoke or drink.
Each approval lasts a year, and the case is re-assessed annually to establish whether the family still qualify.
There are a number of federal and state schemes in place, and official Malaysian statistics show that the incidence of poverty in Sarawak has fallen from 10.9% in 1999 to 0.9% in 2014. The main problem Mr Wan sees on the ground, however, is that government processes take time, whereas Hope Place can act more nimbly.
Padawan Municipal Council chairman Lo Khere Chiang credits Mr Wan with making the lives of the community “better and happier” and garnering support and contributions from people.
The numbers of both its beneficiaries and volunteers have grown. And so has Mr Wan’s reputation. He has already given seminars to more than 12,000 youths in schools and colleges. His message to people is a simple one: “I’m a salesman, and I’m earning RM2,000 a month. If I can help 191 families in hand, I believe that many of us can help many more.”
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Source: Channel NewsAsia, 13 December 2017