The theme for ElShaddai Centre’s 2022 celebration of World Refugee Day is “Displaced but Belong”. As I reflect on the words ‘displaced’ and ‘belong’, I realise that the meaning of these two words could not be more opposing and contradictory to each other, yet it is a reality lived by
Ikram came to Malaysia from Myanmar with his mother under the UNHCR’s program to await resettlement in another country. Initially, he had intended to work to earn some money. He was then 17 years old. As a teenager living in a foreign country amidst other teenagers, Ikram envied their carefree
A Long Search for Belonging Dr Ng Oi Leng is the Executive Director & Education Director of ElShaddai Centre, a registered NGO which is an implementing partner of UNHCR. Established in 2008, ElShaddai Centre strives to serve the displaced refugees, stateless people, asylum seekers and even the irregular migrant communities.
When school reopened in January 2021, parents of diverse nationalities flocked to our centre to enroll their children. Ten months of the covid-19 pandemic had robbed these kids of a normal childhood, a normal school life. In walked 7-year old Danny with his mother, Nina, and his little brother. Nina
There are some 45,650 children below the age of 18 who came to Malaysia due to displacement by conflict and natural disasters, and many of them are not able to attend school. You can change that today for as little as RM300 a month by sponsoring a marginalised diaspora child’s
Hi, my name is Zara* and I am 16 years old this year. I flew to Malaysia from Myanmar when my grandma passed away and I came to live with my uncle as I do not have other relative in Myanmar. I run away when I was 15 because my
Living here in Malaysia has been a big part of my life considering I’ve spent at least half of it here. It’s been a good experience up to present, and I hope it stays that way. While living here I have grasped enough of the local language, Bahasa Melayu, to
ElShaddai Refugee Learning Centre in Klang, Malaysia, received the most votes out of nearly 9,000 cast in our 2020 Hope Awards for Effective Compassion contest. El Shaddai will receive $10,000. Our other finalists—The Dream Center in Easley, S.C., Gilgal in Atlanta, Overflow Café in Maryland, and Refugee Hope Partners in
A new affiliate in East Malaysia ABOUT US In September 2019, a few participants from Sabah attended the third National Diaspora Symposium in Kuala Lumpur. After hearing different speakers share the needs and challenges of reaching out to various migrant nationalities through compassion services and social work, we realized
Refugee school in Malaysia wins 2020 Hope Awards contest ElShaddai Refugee Learning Centre in Klang, Malaysia, received the most votes out of nearly 9,000 cast in our 2020 Hope Awards for Effective Compassion contest. El Shaddai will receive $10,000. Our other finalists—The Dream Center in Easley, S.C., Gilgal in Atlanta,
Help the marginalized and displaced families to rebuild their lives. The effect of the pandemic has been devastating for our whole society, especially to the most vulnerable among us. The families ElShaddai Centre work with are now seeking to rebuild their lives with dignity.
