Receiving from refugees
In May this year, JRS volunteer Shaune Chow, packed her bags and jumped onto an express bus from Singapore to a small village an hour away from Kuala Lumpur. There, she spent 3 weeks at PERCH, a convalescent home for refugees with serious illnesses or injuries. Shaune shares her story.
If life had taken a different turn, I could have been born into a conflict zone and might have had to flee as a refugee. This thought made it hard for me not to see myself, or my friends and family in the faces and stories of refugees whom I saw and read about online.
My first encounter with a refugee community was in Malaysia with JRS in October 2022. When I decided to do some volunteer work after graduation in May 2024, JRS connected me with Kumpulan ACTS (A Call to Serve) for the opportunity to serve at PERCH.
However, packing my bags and leaving the safety and comfort of my familiar life, was a decision I struggled with. I have always prided myself on being a rather independent and tough individual but I had so many fears and doubts , if I was fit and capable enough to help the refugees whom I would encounter. But I am glad I made the decision to go.
Every morning at PERCH, together with Morgane, a volunteer from France and Rose, an elderly refugee lady from Myanmar, I would stand by the statue of Mary and pray. We invited one another to bring our own prayers and petitions. Day by day, I learnt how to gently let go of my anxieties, and let God guide me through each step.
The volunteers stayed in a separate rented house and would cycle to and from the care home every day. In my first week at PERCH, Sein, a Karen refugee from Myanmar who had lived and worked in Singapore previously, took me under her wing. She would cook different types of dishes for me, and always look out for me. My dearest memory of her was us sitting together in her room and looking at pictures of her family and her village, and talking about the work she did to help her community when she was in Singapore and in Myanmar.
For the volunteers, our first stop each day would be at the section housing female patients and children. After breakfast, we would conduct English lessons, either for the children residing there or the adult patients who were keen to learn. After lunch we would play with one of the children who had grown very fond of visitors from overseas and also enjoy some downtime to read or snooze as the day came to its hottest.
Later in the afternoon, we would head down to the section for male patients, to engage them and teach English. I fondly remember the games we played with them, cards or carrom, where things would get very competitive but filled with fun and laughter. After dinner, together with the local staff, one of whom is a refugee from Myanmar and a huge badminton fan, we would shuttle down to the small clearing to play his favourite racket sport. Although badminton wasn’t quite my thing, it soon became one of my highlights each day.
Although it was a short spell at PERCH, I truly believe that I was blessed with much more than I had given. Towards the end of my stint, two refugee friends, whom I had met when they came to the care home to learn simple first-aid techniques to bring back to their community, made an hour-long trip down to throw me a small farewell party. The memory of us sitting in our extremely spartan living room, playing the guitar and singing our medley of Chinese, Burmese and English songs still warms my heart whenever I think of it.
Through my time at PERCH, the plight of refugees has become very real to me. I will always be in awe of the open and kind hearts of both the refugees and the local villagers or ‘kampung’ residents, who were ever ready to extend their friendship and give from what they have regardless of their situations in life.
I have been blessed with inspiring refugee friends, who in their pains and heartaches, are able to smile, stand tall and continue fighting. Now back in Singapore, I am determined to continue playing a part to help my refugee brothers and sisters — whether it is journeying with them from afar, re-telling their stories, or building up resources and networks to support them.
Shaune Chow, 24 recently graduated from Singapore Management University and is now working in the field of sustainability.