Back in October 2019, I reported on activities at the Cerebral Palsy Johor (CPJ) centre here in Johor Bahru. They were celebrating World Cerebral Palsy Day along with similar organisations all around the world. The hope was to attract visitors to learn more about the centre and the lives of the people who benefit from their help.
In addition, CPJ was looking for donors to help support their work, as their coffers were almost dry. You may be shocked to learn that the Government of Malaysia does not fully support this organisation. It believes in ‘inclusivity’ in education but few of these children are equipped physically and mentally to enter a conventional classroom without prior training. However, with early intervention and training of parents of children with cerebral palsy, the lives of these children are immensely improved. Some can then enter government schools, while some even go on to study in university. You may also be saddened to learn that there are only three such centres in the whole of peninsula Malaysia; in Johor Bahru, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur.
On 12th February 2020, Persatuan Cerebral Palsy Johor (the Cerebral Palsy Association of Johor) made an appeal called ‘Help save CP Johor!’ They announced that they would have to close their doors very soon if funding could not be found. As a NGO, they receive just 20% of their budget from the government, a contribution which has been diminishing over the years. CPJ therefore relies on corporate and private donors to make up the difference but they too have been less generous in recent years.
So, after discussion with others interested in helping CPJ, Lawrence and I decided we would make a short fund raising video. I had met a couple of young people with cerebral palsy last year, and contacted them to learn what this place meant to them and their parents. I also met with the Chairman of CPJ (Dato’ Rahmat Bin Abdul Rahman) and members of his team to research what should go into the script which Lawrence would write. I also arranged with Al Asyraf (shown above) to present and narrate the appeal video.
So, on Wednesday 19th February, we collected Asyraf from his home and turned him into a film star! Asyraf is such a delightful young man, full of hope and ambition. I dare not think what his life would have been if it were not for CPJ. With the help of specialist physiotherapists, and the dedication of teachers and his grandmother who raised him, Asyraf is now studying at university. He has a bright imaginative mind and was a thoughtful actor to work with!
So, after a hot sweaty afternoon of filming, we rewarded ourselves with cendol and ais kacang in our local Sedap Corner. The next day Lawrence and I returned to CPJ to film in the morning when it was busy with children in classrooms and physiotherapy, and adults in the rehabilitation centre. We were taken around by Hanif, an occupational therapist at CPJ, and he gave us a video clip of a hydrotherapy session to include in our video. The rest of the day was spent editing the video and adding subtitles.
So, why the rush? Well, CPJ is about to close its doors unless we can work together to help save them. Their recurring budget is RM 150,000 per month, and that excludes money needed for maintainance work, etc. Since their Facebook appeal on 13th February, the public has donated RM 57,837. We are hoping that our visual appeal will bring in more funds, enough to give CPJ more time to find larger donations to put the association on a firmer long term basis. Johor has a population of about 3.7 million. If only one third of that population is working, and they donate just RM 1 each, then CPJ can survive another year! This is just a numbers game. So, if you would like to help CPJ, please donate generously and share this blog and video as widely as possible.
All donations can be made to:
Persatuan Cerebral Palsy Johor
HSBC: 311-024343-001 or CIMB: 800579882-9
Donations over RM 50 are tax exempt, just send proof of bank transaction, plus name and address to cpjohor@gmail.com. Please contact the Administration Office on 014-775 2688 for enquiries.
CPJ is a registered charity (ROS: PPM-005-01-24041968)
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