One of Johor’s oldest charities needs help
Lack of funding forces 50-year-old cerebral palsy association into hard times
JOHOR BARU: One of the state’s oldest non-governmental groups – the Johor Cerebral Palsy Association – is facing its most testing time after 50 years in existence.
Its chairman Datuk Rahmat Abdul Rahman said financial constraints as well as the lack of funding had forced the association, which was founded in 1967, to dip into its reserves in the past three years.
He said the association, which used to have RM2mil in reserves, was now left with only RM200,000, adding that the bulk of the money went into paying salaries.
“We need RM1.9mil per year to run our school as well as pay our staff their salaries,” he said.
Rahmat said the association currently has 49 staff members, including 18 teachers and eight therapists.
“We have about 115 students, including those in our workshops where we teach them skills.
“Based on our calculation, we spend about RM10,000 on each child annually,” he said, adding that although it received state financial aid, this had been slashed over the years.
However, parents said Rahmat, only paid RM50 as monthly fees and another RM25 for transportation costs, adding that many were from poor families.
“This association has sentimental value for me because it has helped my daughter who also has cerebral palsy.
“She loves coming here because she likes meeting her friends and it is the same for many others, including their parents,” Rahmat said after receiving RM30,000 from Star Foundation – the charitable arm of Star Media Group – here.
Thanking Star Foundation for its donation, Rahmat described this as very timely.
The cheque was presented by Star Media Group Bhd Johor bureau chief Nelson Benjamin.
For those who want to donate, the association’s HSBC bank account number is 311-034060-001 and 8005798829 for CIMB.
They can also contact its office at 07-2235452 or 07-2264380.