Volunteer's Tale of Two Visits to a Malaysian Orphanage

Dayavati (in blue) with ashram founder Santha Devi (in orange) and children at the orphanage

On December 26, 2004, American Hindu Dayavati Murugan woke up in her Kuala Lumpur hotel in Malaysia to a tsunami report on CNN. One of the worst natural disasters in recorded history had occurred, with 230,000 people killed in eleven countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Malaysia, shielded by the Island of Sumatra, reported only 68 deaths from the earthquake-driven waves, three of them in Perak, Dayavati's destination. The next day she rode a bus five hours to Sitiawan, Perak, a city of some 100,000 and home to the Manjung Orphanage, founded in 1996 to house three siblings abandoned by their parents. It is the area's only Hindu orphanage.

"There were about thirty boys and girls living there in 2004, some very young," she said. "I loved the place." She lived with the girls in the upstairs dormitory in the two-story building which also housed the kitchen, dining room and community hall. "I established a wonderful connection with the children," she added, describing her volunteer work, leading pujas and bhajans and explaining Hindu teachings to the young residents during her two-week stay. "After coming back to the US, I received cards and letters from them over the next three years."

When Dayavati returned in December of 2007, the orphanage---local residents refer to it as "the ashram"---had changed. In 2004 the ashram had already exceeded its 25-resident capacity. Now she found a population of 50, most of them pre-teenage. The older girls had to keep order, and some resorted to caning. Pressing needs included increased space, more adult staff and discipline consistent with the Hindu commitment to nonviolence.

This time Dayavati stayed a month, living in a home across the alley from the ashram. "All the children were crammed into the main building, with girls upstairs and the boys sleeping on mats on the cement floor in the dining room downstairs. Housing fifty children, the facilities were over-used and showed it." More paid staff was needed. "The cook was the only adult living with the children. One person cannot keep control in those conditions," she felt. " The director agreed." Dayavati returned home concerned: "Most of the children are not literally orphans. They come from troubled homes. As their numbers grew, they needed more care than the small staff could give."

Since her 2007 visit, things have changed for the better, and the number of children has grown to 54. The ashram has acquired a four-bedroom, two-bath house across the alley, moved the boys there under the live-in supervision of a retired estate caretaker, and finally cleared title to an empty lot nearby, gifted for a new facility. The classes she started on the yamas and niyamas---the 20 ethical restraints and observances---have continued. "It warms my heart. They've also hired tutors for the children. That's huge. Overcrowding made studying difficult and some residents were dropping out of school." She is also encouraged that the ashram now practices Positive Discipline, a firm but nonviolent style of child-rearing advocated worldwide by Gurudeva.

"I was absolutely thrilled when Santha Devi, one of the ashram founders, told me these things were happening," Dayavati said. "Santha is also teaching the children handicrafts, cooking and baking." The Sitiawan community gives food to the ashram, she said. "Local farmers bring fresh produce, and many local Hindu families celebrate birthdays and anniversaries by providing a nice meal for the children or taking them on an outing to the beach or park."

She hopes readers can contribute US$40 for a new set of school clothes to a Manjung child. The Manjung Hindu Sabha Orphanage Fund is Hindu Heritage Endowment fund #54. Donate to the fund at www.hheonline.org.

For information on establishing a fund at the Hindu Heritage Endowment, contact Shanmuganathaswami at 808-822-3012 x 244 or email hhe@hindu.org.

Go here to download a complementary estate planning toolkit.

January to March 2010 Endowment Contributions

MISSION STATEMENT

Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organization recognized as tax exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Employer ID 99-0308924. Founded by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic mission is to provide secure, professionally managed financial support for institutions and religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dharma.

PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS

Halbert/Hargrove, Investment Counsel; Sonoda & Isara, LLP, CPA. HHE is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association of more than 2,000 foundations which interprets relevant law and management and investment principles, and of the National Committee on Planned Giving, the voice and professional resource for the gift planning community.

I want to participate. Where should I Send My Donation?

You may send your gift to an existing fund, create a new Endowment or request information through the address below.

Donations may be made online at www.hheonline.org or use the HHE tear-out card in the HINDUISM TODAY magazine to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you.