The world of Tzu Chi September 2024 (Vol.151)

2024 • 09 04 pecial Feature Hope Blooms in a Foreign Land Every child is like a budding flower. No matter how harsh the environment is, with sunlight and rain, they can find the strength to bloom into flowers of hope. “O nce, I received a voice message from a child who sobbingly revealed that her parents wanted her to drop out of school and get married. At that time, I was in Singapore, but I knew I had to help her because once she got married, her education would be over. Knowing the urgency, I immediately contacted an acquainted ustaz for assistance and hurried back toMalaysia, rushing to a surau in Selayang just in time to stop the wedding…” recounted a teacher from a Tzu-Chi Alternative Learning Centre (ALC). The woes of this child mirror the experiences of many refugee girls. Unfortunately, not all can escape the fate of child marriage and being forced to leave school. Burdened by their family’s economic situation, some children stay at home to help take care of their younger siblings or do odd jobs to support their families instead of attending school. As at end of June 2024, there were some 190,370 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia, of which 53,225 are children under the age of 18. These individuals have endured immense hardships—fleeing war, natural disasters, or political persecution—to find themselves displaced in a foreign land. While the Malaysian government, in the spirit of humanitarianism, does not forcibly repatriate refugees, the absence of ratification of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol leaves these displaced families in limbo. They cannot legally work, and their children are ineligible to attend national schools. Meanwhile, the steep tuition fees of private schools are beyond their means. In this context, Malaysia’s 133 refugee community learning centres become oases, offering hope to these children. The power to transform lives Since 2008, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor has partnered with the UNHCR to provide education for refugee children. In recent years, the Tzu-Chi Unity and Harmony ALCs have By Yi-Qin, Lim Eng Yee, Liew Jing Yin Translated by Yi-Qin Photo by Sam Pin Fook