00:00At the Siam Vabak Learning Centre in Pandan Pradhana,
00:07kindness shows up at ordinary moments.
00:10At the breakfast table, in the classroom,
00:13and on the floor where children sit shoulder to shoulder.
00:17They are Myanmar refugee children from the Chin community.
00:21They live apart from their parents,
00:23all of whom work on the plantations in Cameron Highlands.
00:27Their parents can only see them once or twice a year.
00:31In their absence, the children learn early
00:34that they must look out for one another.
00:37When they see that a fellow Myanmar refugee has come for the first time,
00:42they know that they are at home,
00:44especially if the person is orphaned.
00:48The children themselves can sense that they know
00:52that the child needs the care.
00:55Sometimes they will let the children go first,
00:58bring the food for them,
01:00and they will share their stationery.
01:03The centre which houses 24 children was set up in 2020
01:07as a place of learning.
01:09But it quickly became something more.
01:11A refuge for children carrying fears they struggle to explain.
01:16This boy who used to sit under the table,
01:21you know, and we used to wonder why was he under the table.
01:24Slowly we spoke to him,
01:25and then we found out in Myanmar,
01:27you know, when the place was being bombed by grenades,
01:30so he lost two sisters just in front of him.
01:33And so that's why he was always under the table,
01:35and even the sound of a pencil box, he gets frightened.
01:38And slowly over these two years, he has overcome.
01:41When the centre first started,
01:44the children were fed only rice and soup once a day.
01:47After Anselm joined,
01:49he quickly organised three daily meals for them,
01:52before taking on the role of administrator.
01:55Gradually, a steady structure of classes,
01:58playtime, mealtimes and prayer times was put in place,
02:03including church on Sundays.
02:05But providing that sense of routine hasn't been easy.
02:09Keeping the centre running costs nearly 15,000 ringgit a month.
02:14Most of it spent on food.
02:16The centre survives through the generosity of people
02:19who respond when they hear about the children.
02:22So once they come here, they see the place,
02:25then they'll be touched.
02:26Because they see the centre, they see the children,
02:29you know, so loving and caring,
02:30and yet having so little but so much joy in their hearts.
02:34So they will respond.
02:36Anselm and the two Myanmar caretakers,
02:39Ong Naing and his wife, Julia,
02:41also play the role of parents to the children,
02:43to bring some normality to their lives.
02:46Yet, Ong Naing makes it a point for their parents
02:49to video call their kids regularly.
02:51When Christmas approaches, the children decorate a Christmas tree,
02:55make cards and wrap gifts by hand.
02:58Small, simple experiences, much like the outings they treasure.
03:02These small celebrations matter deeply to the children,
03:07reminding them that joy can still exist alongside loss.
03:11And Anselm's Christmas wish is that they will experience a brighter future,
03:16together with their families.
03:18I wish the foreigners would reopen again so that they can be relocated.
03:25Because they also need a chance, like some of the previous ones have gone to America.
03:27They are given either to go to big school, or elementary school,
03:28and then they are taught music, sports.
03:34Sometimes when they share, these kind of things,
03:36I wish the borders would be open again so that they can really be relocated because they also need a chance like some of the previous ones have gone to America, they are given either to go to a big school or elementary school and then they are taught music, sports, sometimes when they share these kind of things, I feel like these kids have been left out now since the borders have been closed.
03:58For now, Ancelor's prayer is simple, that the children stay healthy, continue their studies, have enough food to eat and that more well-wishers come forward with kindness.
04:09Refugees cannot be adopted, they should at all, you know, so I just hope that more people can come here and be a foster parent for them, they can't take that home, at least provide for them here, that will be my daily plan.
04:22Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
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