200 children benefit from early intervention programmes

SIBU: Sibu Agape Centre is working with various health clinics in Central Sarawak such as Lau King Howe Memorial Children Clinic @ Agape to provide early detection, assessment and diagnosis, early intervention, specialised medical care, home ventilation and oxygen support and therapies for children with disabilities by various specialists and allied health professionals.

Secretary of the Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu, Dr. Toh Teck Hock said about 200 children benefitted from the early intervention programmes annually.

“The programmes are for toddlers and preschoolers, which are managed by Methodist Care Centre, Sibu Autistic Association, and Persatuan Dalam Komuniti.

Dr Toh

“At Agape, approximately 150 young adults are currently undergoing training to foster independence, enabling them to thrive without solely depending on their parents for survival,” he stressed.

Dr. Toh said that the centre was equipped with adults’ Vocational Training overseen by the Sibu Methodist Care Centre and the Association, where young adults with disabilities underwent job training to manage various programmes.

“Among them are running a café, car wash, resource mart, laundry, recycling centre, hostel, and bench-top jobs,” he said.

Dr. Toh added that the services Agape Centre provided included a health care facility that registered an attendance of more than 10,000 visits annually.

“The association is also running a dyslexia teaching programme at the centre for school-age children, benefitting about 50 students annually,” he said.

Meanwhile, at Tatsumi Kondo Memorial Workshop in Agape, young adults are producing between three to 50 units of custom-made rehabilitation and mobility aids every year at a reduced cost for children with cerebral palsy and severe global development delay.

Fatimah (second right) and others pose with adults with special needs at the MCC café located at the centre.

(From 4th left, first row) Fatimah, Special Olympic (SO) Sarawak vice president Pemanca Datuk Jason Tai, Toh and others in a group photo.

These aids would have cost the families RM50,000 if purchased from the market.

In terms of sports, the Special Olympics Sibu chapter is regularly conducting training in ten-pin bowling, bocce, floor hockey, athletics (Track & Field), aquatics (swimming), football, and badminton for special needs individuals.

“Besides that, all NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and the clinic provide family counselling and support, assist funding to needy families and social activities to hundreds of families annually,” he said.

Minister for Women, Childhood, and Community Well-being Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah congratulated Agape Centre for being the pioneer as an early intervention provider in the state.

“I personally feel that Agape has been the pioneer in these areas in terms of the good work done by NGOs in the building of Agape Centre, the training that is provided especially to people in the central region in the access of therapy and diagnosis for individuals with special needs.

An adult with special needs washing a customer’s car.

Packaging of salt at the sheltered workplace of Agape.

Sibu Agape Centre.

“The government is looking at Agape as a good model. We try to use it for the Special Need Community Centre (SNCC) in Kuching and Miri so that similar facilities could be accessed by parents with children with special needs,” she said.

As a result of the noble work of Agape Centre, she said parents were no longer embarrassed that they had children with special needs.

“It is good that due to their awareness, they are coming forward for early intervention for their special needs children.

“The public are also more aware that individuals with special needs who are categorised as autistic and dyslexic, are seeking aid at Agape,” she added.