Departments
Since 2006, Health Care Volunteers of ZAM have been helping and taking care of the sick people and patients who are helpless, who have no depend upon, who do not know how to approach to the various health centers and services.
Zomi refugees in Malaysia are very unfortunate; that the refugee patients dare not go to clinic or hospital because;
1. They do not know the language
2. They have no money
3. They are known as illegal
4. They fear of being arrested by the authorities
5. They fear of gangsters and robbers etc…
For these hardships, the Health Care Volunteers are sacrificing their lives to save the refugee patients in order to get them protection and receive medical treatment. The Association cannot afford to support financially to the volunteers except providing daily meal. The volunteers actively involve in 24 hours service and contribute their time and life in helping. They always focus the patients in need to help on time and to organize with UNHCR and local medical centers to save one’s life. It is the mission and positive result that thousands of peoples’ life has been saved and they are getting a better life. All the volunteers have no prejudice to the refugee patients as we are human being under the same sky and they always try to give their best effort and contribution.
Health Awareness Seminar was organized by Zomi leaders throughout the representatives and leaders from various areas of Malaysia since April 2009 at ZAM office. Health Care volunteers have shared all their experiences while living accurate information about health related knowledge to the audience according to the instruction of the Government Hospitals, UNHCR and ACTS (A Call To Serve).
Registration is the process by which the Zomi Association records specific data in respect of member and issues a unique Registration Number, which positively identifies one entity from another or one insured person from another. It establishes and maintains a sound and accurate database of all member and complete contribution records on each member’s information.
Outreach and Intervention
Gaps/Problems
1. Lack of self confident and fear.
2. Unsecure life.
3. Causes dead, arrest and accident.
Objectives
To provide knowdege
To intervent in times of arrest, dead and accident
To give security as much as we can
Activities Outputs
Awareness trainning. Group discussion
Eight hundred members will surely benefit from this program.
Handicraft and Awareness Training
Gaps/Problems
House wives and most of refugee women are lack of knowledge and skill that causes various difficulties in family daily survive.
Objectives
To provide knowledge and skill
Activities
Provide handicraft training and skill. Group discussion.
Outputs
80 house wives and women will benefit from this project.
There are hundreds of Zomi refugees are jobless in the community. ZAM coordinates with UNHCR-EST, companies, factories, restaurants and hotels etc… and provide a suitable job for the community members according to their qualifications or skills without charging of money or commission. The UNHCR cannot assist every individual for their struggling unless vulnerable cases. Thus, the refugees are able to stand their own while staying in Malaysia.
Social Welfare Department
Social Welfare Department is one of the most important departments for Zomi Refugees in Malaysia. It organizes social activities such as:
- Sport Activities
- Cultural and Festival Activities
- Funeral Services
1. Sport Activities
Sport can help these adolescent refugee youths as well elderly refugees regain a valuable part of their lost hopes. Such ages of refugee have often suffered enormously, leaving them severely traumatized. They have witnessed oppression and persecution first hand. The trauma does not end when they finally make it to a work place in Malaysia, to earn their daily meal. Almost every one of them spends almost the whole year in their respective work place, with no sport or recreation.
These refugees have a right to play; a need to play. Sport provides them with a semblance of normality and some structure to their lives. It provides many psycho-social benefits and gives them an outlet for channeling their energy in a positive way that can benefit them for the rest of their lives. This is especially valid for youths fleeing from conflict situations. ZAM organizes Zomi Cup once a year which normally falls in February, and the closing ceremony is always celebrated on the 20th of February which is the Zomi National Day.
2. Cultural and Festival Activities
To maintain our cultural and give education to our next generation, we observe two important occasions every year. Those are “Zomi National Day” on February 20, and “Khuado Pawi” which fall in the full moon of October every year. In this two occasion, we have fashion show, cultural dance and chanting of our forefather’s songs.
3. Funeral Services
Every year between fifteen to twenty five of our members lost their lives in various cases and faces a lot of difficulties in financing. To organize funeral services, we need to spend almost RM100,000 from our community. It raises the birth of Zomi Social Welfare of Malaysia (ZSM) to meet the financial needs.
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Zomi Education Center
Why Zomi Education Center?
Like all children in Malaysia, Zomi children have the fundamental right to life, survival and development to the maximum extent possible. However, living in exile, Zomi refugee children are often denied normal childhoods. Worries make everyday activities, like playing outdoors, difficult. Refugee children in Malaysia also do not have access to formal education. In Malaysia, there are thousands of Zomi children below the age of 18. It is estimated that only approximately 60% of these children have access to any kind of education. This means over 40% of Zomi children of school going age are not in school. Unable to access formal education, Zomi Association of Malaysia established Zomi Education Center (ZEC) which organizes Learning Centers for the children, and these are often held under resource-scarce conditions.
ZEC Learning Centers are education classes that are run by the communities themselves, with some support from the local community. These community-based learning centers are located within the refugee population, wherever there are Zomi communities with a large number of children of school going age. The scope and reach of these classes are largely restricted by a lack of resources, including qualified teachers. Classes are usually held in rented flats or shop houses, where rooms are converted into classrooms, and are largely overcrowded, lacking in basic teaching facilities and with no space for children to play. However, every Zomi volunteer teachers have tried their best in setting up Learning Centers even with limited resources.
Education remains one of the most important concerns for refugee parents. It is the hope they have that their children will have a chance for a better life. The lack of basic education among refugee children will become a handicap for them as they grow up. It inhibits their opportunities to better their lives, creating a generation of an illiterate/unskilled community. The objective of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives, so they may aspire for a life different than today.
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ZAM Office Address:
155 (A), 1st Floor,
Jalan Maharajalela
50150, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Office : (603) 2142 6659 & (603) 9226 1926
Fax : (603) 2142 6659
Hotline : (60) 16 293 9027
Email : zomiassociationmls@gmail.com
