At the Che Sir Kok Charity Clinic, patients only have to pay RM5 for each visit. The low-cost TCM clinic, opened for underprivileged families in the Moral Uplifting Che Sir Kok Centre in Masai, is often seen bustling with elderly men and women waiting for their turn to meet the TCM doctor.
Established in 2000, the Che Sir Kok Centre moved from a shophouse lot to a grand RM20 million building in 2014. Their focus has always been to help poor families. Every Sunday, they deliver bento food boxes to those in need and every month, they assist families with daily household commodities. They also provide cash assistance to people seeking medical treatments on a case-by-case basis.
Addressing poverty and empowerment, Lim Peak Boom, Head of Programmes Division at the Centre, said that education is not a priority in these underprivileged households. Students from such backgrounds face academic difficulties due to a lack of access to tools and materials to make understanding a subject easier. Their surroundings make studying challenging as well. As a result of not enjoying school, they play truant or drop out. To protect the students from a life of crime or immoral activities, the Centre invites them to join their Lion and Dragon dance classes; a cultural dance involving discipline, synchronisation, and teamwork.
Due to the nature and structure of the dance, Lim believes that the students will be able to better shape their character, thanks to the practical soft skills that they learn and can apply in their adult life. Students are also taught to be calm and reflect on their actions and to seek advice from the wise when they feel lost. Some of the students have since graduated from the class and have now pursued careers in hairstyling, cooking, and some have even started working in Singapore.
The centre also holds morally uplifting weekend enrichment classes for children aged 8 to 11. They are taught from the ancient Chinese Di Zi Gui book, which translates to mean the Standards for being a Good Pupil and Child. The book is passed down from the Qing dynasty that followed the teachings of Confucius who emphasised the importance of being a good person.
“We are shaping the next generation,” said Lim.
