Ivan Lu, RH Group executive director, is welcomed by one of The Center’s volunteer mothers with a garland.
The Tembari children perform a nursery song for the visitors led by Malaysian High Commissioner to PNG Datin Blanche Olbery (left).
Nathan Ho, RH Group executive director and president of the Malaysian Association of PNG displaying a dummy cheque for K15,000 which is a donation to the Tembari Children Care daycare-orphanage center. Ho is flanked by (from left) Ivan Lu, Hayward Sagembo, TCC president; Victor Tan, Maybank vice-president; Datin Olbery and Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, a Malaysian investor-businessman.
Close up of Maybank dummy cheque for K15,000.
Nathan Ho addresses the children while holding a dummy Maybank cheque for K15,000 which is donated by the Malaysian community. (photo: highcomm addressing kids)
Datin Olbery addresses Sagembo along with the Tembari children and volunteers.
Hayward Sagembo addresses the High Commissioner and the members of her entourage.
Hayward Sagembo signs the document for the turn over of the K15,000 cheque.
VIPs all … (from left) Ivan Lu, Datuk Dr Salleh, Victor Tan, Nathan Ho and Datin Olbery.
Cheerful children stand behind a stack of goodies donated by the Malaysian community.By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A Friend of Tembari Children
SHE CAME. She saw. Then she was conquered.
Malaysian High Commissioner to PNG Datin Blanche Olbery went through this emotional journey while visiting The Center for the first time.
She had a special errand from the Malaysian community to carry out: To deliver a generous assistance to the Tembari children in the form of a cheque for K15,000.
The cheque was received by Tembari Children Care Co-Founder and Director Hayward Sagembo, who expressed profound thanks to the Malaysian people in PNG for their concern to the Tembari kids.
Sagembo assured their benefactors from the Malaysian community that the funds will be used towards improving the lot of the children.
The amount was part of more than half million kina raised by the Malaysian Association of PNG through the MBC Charity Golf fundraising held recently. The rest of the amount had been allotted to a few selected charitable institutions in the country.
And the Tembari Children Care (TCC), a daycare-orphanage at ATS Oro Settlement, 7-Mile, NCD, was among the chosen ones.
Datin Olbery was amazed to see the kids – our kids – and was immediately smitten by them, the way a visitor from the US, private air hostess Ms Diane McLea, felt when she met them personally last March.
The High Commissioner felt her heart lifted as she listened to the children serenading her with Papua New Guinean nursery songs.
In a brief address to the children and volunteer workers, Datin Olbery said the Malaysian community was just too happy to help a facility like the TCC.
And that she was honored to have personally delivered the assistance straight to the children.
Datin Olbery noted the visible good things The Center was doing to improve the lives of the children under its care – that is from giving them education, feeding and giving them the much- needed parental care.
For all you know, these 83 kids are composed of orphans, neglected, abandoned and the vulnerable. The only place for them where they could feel being loved and cared for is The Center.
Datin Olbery was also aware that the funding assistance from her community will go straight to the 83 beneficiary children under TCC’s care.
She said the many things like food and facilities that The Center would acquire using the funds would greatly improve the set up at The Center, boost its efficiency in delivering services to kids, and thus make the much-needed positive changes in their lives.
“I’ll try to find ways to help them in my own way,” she told after the brief cheque presentation, referring to the kids.
Incidentally, Datin Olbery brought with her a special guest, a distinguished businessman from Malaysia, Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail.
She invited Dr Salleh to come along with her to The Center to give him an idea on what assistance the Malaysian community was giving to children.
Back in Malaysia, Dr Salleh owns Meatworks, a diversified meat company engaged in restaurants, meat delicacies, butchery and outlets for choice-cut meat products.
In the country to find investment opportunities, he told me the The Center was doing a great service to the children and hoped that one of these days he would be able to help.
Another distinguished visitor who came with the High Commissioner was Maybank (PNG) vice-president Victor Tan, who was curious as to what the Tembari Children Care facility was all about.
And maybe, after having a personal encounter with our children during the visit, Mr Tan would also join the growing number of people who right now are helping the Tembari children improve their lives.
In fact, RH Group senior executive director Ivan Lu, who urged Mr Tan to visit The Center and see the kids, told me he (Mr Tan) could also be a potential benefactor – for whom I am keeping my fingers crossed.
The visit was also graced by another RH Group executive director Nathan Ho, president of the Malaysian Association of PNG. He immediately supported Ivan in his proposal for a K15,000 funding assistance to The Center.
Ivan, who is chairman of MAPNG organizing committee, and Nathan, made it possible for the Tembari children to receive a generous amount from the Malaysian community.
In fact, this money is now working hard for the good of the Tembari children.
And personally from me, and from everyone at TCC : Thanks a million for your kindness to our children. You have just taken up a big stake in their future.
Email me: alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg
Jarahdz500@online.net.pg
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