Rice for malnourished slum kindergartners

Mercy Centre currently supports 120 orphans from 6 to 22 years old through the provision of basic necessities such as rice, shelter and education. The children, teenagers and young adults come from broken families. They have all experienced trauma and a lack of stability in their lives and thus Mercy Centre serves as their refuge. The young adults that have graduated from Mercy Centre are normally employed in low skilled jobs and thus we support them till they can support themselves. Every child, teenager and young adult that lives at Mercy Centre has their own story and their stories reflect the reality of living with poverty and trauma.    

The story of “D” is one of tragic circumstances and highlights the struggles that all Mercy children face. D joined us at 2 months old in 2011. His mum was from a mental asylum and she did not know who the father of D was. After D’s birth, his mother did not want to be responsible for him and wanted to abandon him in the hospital.  The responsibility of care fell to D’s grandmother who lacked the mobility and finances to support D. The grandmother expressed her concern to the hospital and the hospital passed her Mercy Centre’s contact information. Since then, D has grown to be a sweet and affectionate child and is now 9 years old. Unfortunately for D, he struggles with learning difficulties and emotional regulation and continues to learn behavioural norms at school and in the Mercy home.

At the Mercy homes for the 120 orphans, rice is an important staple food in the Mercy’s children’s diet and gives them hope of a better tomorrow. Regardless of their stories of struggle, rice sustains the 120 orphans and allows them to fight for a better life for themselves. As we move forward, we want to be able to empower the children in our care and allow them to have opportunities that they never thought possible.    

Mercy Centre was setup 47 years ago by Father Joseph Maier. At Mercy Centre we serve over 3,000 meals to kindergarten children from the Klong Toei area. These children are severely affected by poverty which impacts upon their social emotional wellbeing and mental health. Rice is a staple food in the children’s diet and is an integral part of the nutritious yet balanced diet we provide the children.

At Mercy Centre, we witness and hear many stories of hope but also stories of heartbreak. Reflecting upon these real life stories, we would like to draw your attention to a story of a girl who lives with her mother and grandmother. The mother and grandmother try their best to support the girl by doing odd jobs but the lack of stable income does not allow them to provide the girl with the proper nutrition on a daily basis. As a result, Mercy Centre staff will provide the girl with breakfast and lunch. There are days when we also need to pack food for the girl to bring home for dinner. The story of this girl is a reflection of what many of our children go through. Poverty brings a large level of uncertainty into the children’s lives and this uncertainty can only be alleviated through the provision of food, shelter and education.        

Rice does not only provide nutrition but it also provides hope to those children who only get one meal a day. The hope that we provide each child is important in encouraging them to persist and overcome the barriers that they face.  Over the years, we have given hope and provided nutrition to over 40,000 children and we hope that we are able to provide nutrition and hope to many more children of the Klong Toei community and beyond.