Collaborating to serve the refugees in Penang.

The New Thessalonian Apostolate (NTA) and The Lighthouse, Penang, two Catholic social powerhouses, have come together, leveraging on each other’s strengths and expertise to serve the refugee community scattered across Penang Island.

This collaboration saw the establishment of, among other things, a school for refugee children, skills and livelihood training programmes for refugees (men and women), as well as healthcare services for the refugee community as a whole.

Planning for this initiative commenced in March 2017 during which NTA did multiple assessments to identify the extent of the need. This was done by spending time with the community, speaking to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and various other NGOs and stakeholders regarding the needs of the refugees in Penang. NTA also ensured that the curriculum is customised to cater towards the specific needs of refugee children.

The Lighthouse, on the other hand, looked into providing the infrastructure needed for the project, including providing the premises for the school and training centre, arranging for the children’s transportation to and from school and providing breakfast and lunch for the children.

The NTA — Lighthouse School for Refugee Children as it is known, is merely the first step towards serving the refugee community in the area, in a similar vein to the The Lighthouse’s service to the urban poor in the area since 2003.

January 19 marked the first day of school for the refugee children who were provided with uniforms by NTA. A brief induction session was conducted by Marianne See, NTA’s Director of Education.

This was followed by a short break during which breakfast was served by The Lighthouse. Classes resumed shortly after.

The children had their very first VIP visitor when Bishop Sebastian Francis visited and blessed the school. The Bishop was then given a briefing on the collaboration undertaken by the two NGOs.

The children ended their first day at school with lunch at 1.00pm.

Elaborating on this noble initiative, NTA’s Director of External Affairs, Sherril Netto, explained that they had discovered pockets of refugees on Penang island where children have no access to any form of formal education.

The New Thessalonian Apostolate is a lay Catholic Missionary Organisation founded in 1993, dedicated to stewardship, spiritual formation, integral human development, and bringing the Gospel message to the world by reaching out and serving those most in need, in new and innovative ways.

The Lighthouse, on the other hand, was founded by the Diocese of Penang in 2003 to reach out to the urban poor and marginalised people of the society.

NTA’s Founder and Director General, Dave J. Kameron, expressed that NTA and The Lighthouse coming together is the most natural of collaborations as both organisations have similar philosophies. “One Thought, One Mission, One Church,” said Dave, “it feels like the disciples, Peter and Paul, coming together not only to serve the people, but also for the greater glory of God.”

Gerard Robless, the Director of TheLighthouse, said that the collaboration is the perfect example of two Catholic NGOs coming together with a common purpose to provide Catholic advocacy in public.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online