On 26.12.2021, RC Klang Valley contributed 30 sets of dual burner cooking stoves to the flood victims in Shah Alam. This assistance went out to 30 families

On 26.12.2021, RC Klang Valley commenced the 2nd round of relief efforts. This time around, the Club contributed bed frames, mattresses, blankets, pillows, clothes etc. The Club also together with Buddhist Maha Vihara facilitated distribution of 100 cartons of drinking water for the flood victims. The items are contributed with the hope that the victims are able to resume their live on a day to day basis, as they move out of the relief centers to their homes.

The floods in December 2021 caused major destruction, not seen in the last 25 years in the Klang Valley. RC Klang Valley started a flood relief pool fund which was created on the 22nd December to purchase and supply basic necessities for those effected by the floods. The team, as part of its flood relief initiative, had on 24th December, purchased and delivered groceries and basic necessities to the Sungai Rengam Tamil School which was a flood relief center where collection and distribution of the items were done and distributed to the victims. Items consisting of towels, garbage bags, detergents, bathing soaps, toothbrush, toothpaste etc. for 100 families were sent for distribution.

9 families required urgent assistance with grocery supplies, of which 2 of the families did not have food to lay on the table. 1 was unable to buy her ill mother the special milk which she requires, another 24 year old unemployed girl who lives with her sickly mum suffering from covid, required an oxygen tank to keep her breathing and on dialysis. They were in 4 months rental arrears and ordered to leave the house. RCKV helped settle 2 months of the arrears and they have been allowed to continue staying. The Club together with a Residents Association raised funds to purchase groceries for all 9 families. The items were handed over today, 3 in person whereas the other 6 received their groceries by Grab, as 3 families are under quarantine after testing positive for covid and the other 3 families could not afford transportation.

Through the generosity of L'Occitane Fondation in their "Caring for Sight" Community Service Project , they are sponsoring 8000 pairs of spectacles for the B40 community and underprivileged communities in the proportion of 80% children (age 20 years and below) 20% adults (age 21 years and above) in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Rotary Clubs and Lion Clubs are invited to participate in the identification and distribution. The project started when the Movement Control Order restriction are eased and completion will be six months thereafter.

The world underwent torment, both physically and more mentally, with the pandemic recently. Whilst campaigns were organised to create awareness in mental wellbeing and emotional stability for adults and able bodied and able minded children, there were hardly any campaigns organised for children who are physically and mentally challenged. On 19.12.2021, RC Klang Valley organised BRING A SMILE TO A CHILD CAMPAIGN at the Taman Megah Handicapped & Disabled Children’s Home in Petaling Jaya. This campaign was divided into 3 parts, a mental health and emotional wellbeing talk by a renowned Psychologist, Ms. Sitra Panirsheeluam, Christmas celebration with Santa Claus and celebrating the birthday of December babies amongst the 101 children at the Home. The objective of the talk was to cultivate good mental health among these children and the avenue to reach out to if they needed guidance. The children were also given gifts of their choice as part of their wish list sent to the Club.

The project is named after our member, Dato Sureiperkasrahu Dhassri's late daughter, Vynodha, whose passion was planting trees and adding more green everywhere she went. Vynodha left us in 2019. As a community project, our Rotarians planted 14 neem trees in the Section 12, Petaling Jaya neighbourhood. One needs no reason to plant trees, more so in a residential neighbourhood. The group of Rotarians who took part in the activity followed the proper processes of tree planting. The reason for planting neem trees is not only for purposes of adding more green but also for its medicinal and therapeutic values.

News of the Club's Cry for Milk project undertaken early August 2021 traveled around and caught the attention of families of other communities in Shah Alam, Klang and Kuala Lumpur. We were approached for more milk contributions and the Club decided to carry out another round of the project. Funds were quickly raised and milk was distributed, all within 4 days. This time the recipients lived at different locations and friends of Rotary assisted the Club to distribute the milk powder.

A mother in profuse tears says, "My 8 months old child has been crying for milk the last 2 days. We have run out of baby formula and cannot afford to buy them. I have to put baby nipples in her mouth to stop her from crying and I feed her water". Our hearts sank when we heard this cry for help but this was not the only one. This was just 1 story we heard from an interview with a young mother in Shah Alam and Klang. A friend of Rotary informed the Club of the plight of these desperate mothers and hungry babies. The Club immediately fund raised and purchased baby formula, infant and children's milk. The items were handed over within 2 days of their request.

On or around 19.8.2021, continuous rain coupled with poor drainage and a virtually non existent irrigation system, the perfect recipe for disaster, had caused floods at the Kampung Bukit Cerakah in Subang. Of the 20 houses there, 5 of the houses were badly damaged. The floods had destroyed personal belongings, pillows, mattresses etc. There are aged people and toddlers and infants staying in those homes. In fact as a result of the floods, rodents and cockroaches were running all over. 2 children were bitten by the rodents. The Club was informed of this and immediately arranged for the purchase of mattresses, pillows and blankets as well as some food items.

Multiple Sclerosis( MS) is a dreadful neurological disease affecting the brain & spinal cord. It commonly affects adults of ages 20 to 30, more the females. MS is lifelong & progressive causing neurological disability ranging from mild to serious. These include numbness, impairment of speech & movement, blurred vision imbalance & fatigue. At present there is no cure for MS, but it's possible to treat the symptoms. Rotary Club of Klang Valley with the Multiple Sclerosis Society( MSS) organised the Multiple Sclerosis Essay Writing Competition 2021. The participants were MS patients & their caregivers. Their respective essays had taken us on an unprecedented journey. RCKV & MSS decided to publish the essays, with the consent of the participants. LIVING WITH MS, is a publication by RCKV. We share the journeys of MS patients and caregivers as we introduce this rare disease & the challenges faced by MS patients & caregivers in their attempt to live & help live through life.

The Club identified 45 families who were in dire straits and were going on for days without proper or any meal and immediately arranged for the purchase of groceries for these families. The families live in the Shah Alam area. Most of the breadwinners for these 45 families have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, illness and closure of employer's businesses. The families were carefully identified, following strict SOPs, where their respective houses were visited and family members interviewed. The Club purchased items such as household groceries, food items and medicines to sustain the families for at least 1 month. The joy on their faces when the items were presented showed their gratitude and believe that humanity still exists.

3 single mums literally in abject poverty, having lost their jobs due to the COVID pandemic, 4 months earlier, each with children to support & without any income or support, were all in danger of eviction from their meagre rented premises in a low cost flats in Shah Alam. While their basic food necessities were being cared for by the club, that, they were in rental arrears were completely concealed until the eleventh hour. An immediate fundraiser for the arrears was started and completed by the Club within a day. The club came to their rescue & saved the day for these 3 single mothers & their families.

The Club was approached regarding families that have been going on without (proper) food for days in Taman Bunga Raya, Klang area. The community here were mostly from the B40 bracket (household income of USD600 a month). Many had lost their job or income opportunity. Families with aged parents, children, infants and toddlers. Amongst them were sickly children and aged people. Help in the form of groceries and food was given to 32 families.

A friend of Rotary informed the Club that there was a community, that despite living in an semi urban area, has long been forgotten by the authorities, that no support reacghes them. The area, Kampung Cerakah is located in a busy area in Subang. The area is crowded with factories and industrial estates. Yet, the access to this village is through gravel road. It takes one 15 minutes to reach the village from the main road where the factories are located and 1 km of access only on the foot. We were informed that the community there, who were mostly working in factories, had lost their jobs because of the pandemic and the consequent closure of businesses and factories. There are 20 families living here and they are so united that they have always shared the little they had or could get their hands on. The Club put in motion a project to provide them with groceries, amenities and food. The project was successfully carried out.

The club organised a virtual Polio event to commemorate World Polio Day, celebrated yearly 24th October. The primary aim of this event was to create an awareness of the deadly disease as well as fund raising for Polio Plus Fund. The club also intended to highlight the mammoth role & efforts both physical and financial that Rotary had initiated worldwide in an attempt to control and eradicate the disease. Thanks to Rotary, Polio is now endemic only in 2 countries today, namely Pakistan & Afghanistan. The importance to continually vaccinate every child worldwide until the disease was completely eradicated from the face of the world was emphasised. It was an interactive webinar session that was for the club members, family and guests. There were many interesting questions asked and patiently answered. The first part pertaining to the Disease was presented by CP Dr Raj & the Rotary International effort was presented by Rotarian Shanthi. Voluntary donations totaled RM 540 or USD 130.

The Festival of Lights or Diwali to be celebrated on November 4th 2021. RCKV spread joy and happiness to 21 single mother families in dire need of basic groceries to enable them to celebrate this joyous occasion. Each of these families faced challenges during this pandemic and struggled to make ends meet. They are from the Public housing and low cost areas in Puchong. They have been carefully selected by the Project Red Dot group which stands up for empowering women. RCKV partnered with Project Red Dot and distributed goodies & groceries for Diwali. This was an excellent opportunity to bring cheer & serve the single mothers in the festive season as well as build understanding and goodwill among the communities. Rotarians & family met at the venue on a the date at 12.45 noon to distribute the goodies to the single mothers. The Rotarians and families then met for a fellowship lunch.

The Covid 19 movement control order has profoundly altered working & social environments. The pandemic had resulted in both loss of income & job as well as anxiety & depression among the working general population. Suicides are on the rise since the onset of the pandemic affecting mainly younger adults. The club responded to a request for a mental related talk on 26th August @ 8.30 pm to help people cope with the current challenges. Persistent stress and anxiety that is overwhelming can impair daily work functions - and may indicate anxiety disorder. The speaker Ms Sitra Panirsheluam, Consultant Psychologist & a Behavioural therapist addressed 65 employees from Harvey Norman, Lin Fox & Incorporated Society of Planters aside Rotarians.It was a 40 minute presentation followed by 20 mins of Q & A for participants to benefit. The moderator, President Mohan did an excellent job in managing the entire session. Future talks related to mental health and wellbeing will be planned by the club.

An important aspect of improving the command of any language is by cultivating the habit of reading & exposure to good books. The standard of English among primary school children needs improvement & this is particularly true among the Tamil school children. Reading will improve their literacy & command of English as well as widen their general knowledge. Many schools lack good English books. With this in mind, RCKV worked with 5 teenagers from Gujarati Association KL in sourcing 500 English story books from various sources which were then equally divided among 4 local primary Tamil schools, namely 1)Sekolah Kebangsaan Tamil Sea Port; Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Tamil Vivekananda Petaling Jaya; Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Tamil Effingham & Sekolah Rendah KebangsaanTamil RRI. Project OC Rtn Sunil was assisted by PE Pradeep. The books were distributed from the office of President Mohan with the help of Rtns Vignesh & Prem. The schools have undertaken to promote reading among their students.

ACTS (A call to Serve) runs a charity kindergarten at Batu Arang for children of refugees, mainly from Myanmar. There was a dire need for books and this was highlighted to RCKV. PE Pradeep took on this project and a generous donor, Ms Punitha was quickly found. A total of 200 brand new books was sponsored for the kindergarten. Some of the books were contributed by their author. The books were collected by PE Pradeep and transported to the kindergarten at Batu Arang by RCKV with the assistance of Jerry Chong from Backyard @Sri Hartamas. The children were ecstatic on receiving the books.

On the 31st Aug 2021, RCKV received a request from a children’s home in Jenjarom, home to 19 orphaned children, in dire need of help as they had no food to eat. The caretaker lady who was in charge of this home had contracted Covid and had succumbed to it just two days earlier. Several of the children also tested positive for Covid and were being quarantined within the confines of the home itself . An immediate fund raiser was launched with community organisations like Backyard buddies(an anonymous donor) and others responding to finance the groceries for this home for 3 months. PE Pradeep and his cousin Ajay then transported the groceries to the home. By this time all 19 children had repeated their Covid tests and tested negative. The children helped to download the groceries and helped to transport the 100 bags of groceries into the home. Another caretaker was in place to look after the home.

Mr Krishna Kumar, aged 38 years old, is single and stays with his aged mother who is a single mother. His mother suffers from renal (kidney) failure. Krishna Kumar is the sole bread winner of his family. He was born with an abnormality of his right leg which needed to be amputated. This was performed by an Orthopedic surgeon. He was then using a below knee prosthesis and was able to earn a living. Unfortunately during the Covid pandemic, his prosthesis broke and he could not ambulate and therefore lost his job. He became dependent on others for his living. He then contacted PDG Dr Manohur of RCKV for help. The club then answered his call and provided a new prosthesis. As a result of this prosthesis, he is now able to walk independently and was therefore gainfully reemployed. He is able to look after the needs of both himself and his mother, without depending on others.

RCKV in partnership with District Action Group on Mental Health Initiatives organised Third Thursday Talk entitled Building & Sustaining Resilience. The main speaker was Asst Prof Dr Sailaja, Michigan State University, USA. Sharing their moving personal stories and how they overcame mental challenges were Ms Eka Shereen & Sagita. The session lasted 1 hour & was followed by Q&A for 30 mins. The event was professionally moderated by Past President Arjan and the MC was Rotarian Anthony Raja. 117 people attended on Zoom & more on FB live. The presentation was timely & apt given the surge of mental health issues shadowing Covid pandemic. Among the highlights were to develop Resilience & overcome & grow from life’s challenges. Individuals & families face life-challenging situations, grief, loss, traumatic events, economic insecurity, etc. Uncertainty, stream of emotions, unsettling thoughts affect each individual differently. The audience was shown how to navigate through such challenges.

A 3 month old infant required urgent heart surgery to save its life. The parents could ill afford to bear the cost of treatment and therefore had resorted to social media to highlight their plight. This appeal for help was picked by a Club Rotarian who then alerted the club. An immediate fund raiser was launched and within 2 hours the required amount was raised and a little extra money for incidental expenses related to the treatment was also collected. The collected sum of money was donated to the grateful parents.

It was a day of action & the event involved Rotarians & Friends & visiting Rotarians from Rotary Club of Seremban Gateway. 15 people met at 7.30 am on a Sunday to participate in Plalking at Taman Jaya. After 1 hour & 15 mins, 6 bags of litter were collected & disposed. The trash that were collectedwere plastic, papers, empty containers & bottles, food remnants, clothes, cigarette butts, broken toys etc. The park was visited by hundreds at that hour on Sunday & many had stopped to ask who we were! Keeping the environment clean is everybody’s responsibility. Hygiene & sanitation help to prevent disease. Plalking is a great way to get out and exercise while exploring your local area and keeping greener, cleaner communities. Its a habit that hopefully more in society will adopt. The club hopes to do Plalking periodically. The volunteers then met up for a breakfast fellowship.

This was a unique opportunity to create better understanding across multi cultures and with the elderly, for the club. Diwali was celebrated with 22 inmates of a home for the elderly. Their ages ranged from 75 to 105. They were away from their homes for different reasons. The Club had as its guest of honor, the District Governor of District 3300, Dato Bindi Rajasegaran. Gifts to invoke happiness & smiles were distributed to the inmates by the District Governor. The inmates were from different racial, ethnic & religious backgrounds and were living harmoniously under a single roof, cared for by a team of dedicated staff. This was an opportunity for the club to build bridges of friendship across all different communities & faiths & to experience the unity of mankind. Disputes can always be resolved by understanding & forgiveness - race & religion should never divide humanity. Fellowship dinner followed for all present. It was indeed a joyous event for the inmates & the club.

ACTS (A call to Serve) runs a charity kindergarten at Batu Arang for children of refugees, mainly of Myanmar descent. This facility lacks resources and teaching aids. There are 2 volunteer teachers who dedicatedly teach approximately15 children. Rotary Club of Klang Valley contributed a television set to facilitate teaching. This set was a contribution from a Rotarian of the club. With the arrival of the television the mode of teaching has changed dramatically with online lessons with thus classes becoming interesting and children more attentive.

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years & the goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever. Polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 % since the 1st project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan & Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. Malaysian Nanban is the largest Tamil daily newspaper widely circulated in shaping the opinion of the local Indian population. The club had the unique opportunity to propagate knowledge about the disease, it’s prevention & eradication to the Tamil speaking community when CP Dr Raj Kumar was approached by this daily to present a medical topic. The article was published on 14th November & occupied half a page in the health page. Rotary’s role in the eradication of the disease was clearly outlined.

Covid 19 pandemic has created an aftermath of economic and mental challenges to countless individuals & families. Many have lost hope as a result loss of jobs, income or a loved one. Their needs are indeed many. 30 underprivileged families who had recovered from Covid were selected. They had no income. On Tuesdays, RCKV provided them PIEMAN pies & meals which consisted of rice, vegetable & chicken. Other groups took turns to help them on other days. This project was carried out during the lockdown by OC Pradeep & distribution was assisted by a benevolent group called Backyard Buddies. The families were overjoyed to receive help & were grateful to know that people cared about them. As time passed, some families refused help when they got employed & requested we help more deserving cases. Their nobility & honesty are indeed worth emulating. An average of 50 persons benefitted from the meals every week from Mentari Court, Kepong & PJ Home. Total 900 people benefitted during this period.

Sleep & health are strongly related. Poor sleep increases the risk of poor health. Comfortable sleeping materials play an important role to ensure good sleep. 3 homes were reaching out for help as they were in dire need of pillows & mattresses for their inmates. They were managing with tattered & torn ones & the residents were suffering sleep related issues among other problems. They are: 1)PJ Caring Home - a nursing home for the mentally challenged. 2)Perch Home Batu Arang houses refugees. 3)Positive Living Community Home in Batu Arang houses infirm patients including HIV. The club was approached to help with the pillows. OC Pradeep contacted SOHAM FABRICKS PLT, whose owner Mr Jay Avalani sponsored high quality 5 star hotel standard pillows for all the 3 homes. BACKYARD, helped storage & delivery. The club facilitated the project and played an important role in meeting the needs of the needy homes. RCKV hopes & wishes the inmates a restful sleep & sweet dreams every night.

Tae Kwon Do is a Korean form of martial arts. The physical training undertaken is purposeful & fosters strength of mind through mental armament. Learning Tae Kwon Do can do wonders for a young girl. It can help young girls to believe in themselves & help them defend themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. RCKV embarked on this initiative, answering the call of RI President Shekar Mehta to empower girls. 20 girls between the ages of 12 to 30, from the economically challenged (B40) community were selected. The Instructor Sattiyaanantan, Tae Kwon Do Master 6 th Dan, is a certified Instructor who agreed to conduct 20 classes at a discounted rate, teaching these girls sufficient Tae Kwon Do to defend themselves at the hour of need. Each class is for 1 hour, & will be held on Sundays & Public holiday afternoons over 20 sessions. 4 classes were held physically under strict Covid 19 SOPs at a public hall. The rest were conducted virtually.

A single mum with dependants, 5 children and an aged non ambulant mother, was the sole bread winner of the family. They were staying in low cost premises with minimal necessities. The single mum met with an accident & became bedridden. Soon with the onset of Covid, she was laid off. There was now no source of income. Rentals and with electric bills were unpaid for about 26 months. She began to live on borrowed monies.Her medical condition gradually improved & she finally was employed as a low paying security guard. The landlord was evicting her, the electricity supply was terminated & debtors were swarming her place. Her plight came to light, and the club immediately participated in an urgent fund raiser settling her electric bills and 6 months rental. 2 months of groceries were supplied to the family and a crowd funding initiative is in place to seek help to settle the outstanding rentals.

This project was planned & will be conducted by Sri Ram Seetha, a Certified Play Therapist & will be assisted by Malini Rama, a Registered Counsellor & Thulase Thamootharan, an Intern. Group Activity sessions are planned for children ages 8-15 years old for the B40(economically challenged) community. There will be a pre/post test(Strength & Difficulties Score Sheet)for the children & their parents to measure change. Group Activity Sessions will be held with each session, 60 mins long. Children's session will be on weekends.