MERCY Malaysia – the name brings to mind heroic efforts in disaster stricken countries. People are often surprised when I mention our monthly outreach clinic in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

“What kind of disasters occur in Kuala Lumpur?” many ask.

Dr. Annapurny Venkiteswaran (dentist) treating a patient at Nur Salam

Mild flooding during the rainy season and rush hour bumper-to-bumper traffic aside, it is hard to imagine anything like a serious disaster affecting the capital of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, however, hides more insidious problems - poverty, homelessness and drug abuse. The victims are often unnoticed and do not receive any help.

There are however, certain organisations that create spaces for these people to turn to. Nur Salam, one of MERCY Malaysia's partners, does just this for the children of the Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur. They provide children with basic education, two meals each day and a safe place to come in from the street. Many of the children seeking assistance from Nur Salam are the children of sex workers and/or drug addicts. In addition, many of the children do not have documents such as birth certificates or identity cards, making it difficult for them to access healthcare or to attend regular schools.

MERCY Malaysia's role in this is the provision of monthly outreach clinics to ensure that the children’s health is taken care of. We regularly provide primary healthcare, dental and optical checkups with the help of our dedicated medical and non-medical volunteers. At any one clinic, our volunteer doctors and nurses diagnose and treat up to 40 children whose ages can range from 3 to 17.

We have been working with Nur Salam since 2008. In 2009 alone, we have conducted 7 clinics and provided basic healthcare to 168 children with ailments ranging from bronchitis to teeth extraction.

So when people ask about our outreach clinic in the heart of our capital, I tell them: Though we may have projects in a host of different countries, MERCY Malaysia does not neglect the needs of the vulnerable within Malaysia itself.

Jessica Wong Ming Shi
Programme Officer