A New Home for Elderly Siblings

The Youths and SSE Group 4 students of SSBC Seremban conducted a service project at the home of 2 elderly siblings in Jalan Labu, Seremban recently. The project was  carried out  in 2 phases, over  a phase of 2 months. This home belonged to a couple of siblings – a brother and sister who are both in their late 60s’. The old man is crippled and can only ambulate with the help of a walking frame. His sister has been doing odd jobs like washing dishes at a nearby stall on and off to get some extra money. The SSBC centre of Seremban has been giving this couple monthly rations over the last few years. Due to their age and premorbid illnesses, this couple had been unable to maintain their house.  Realising they needed help,  the youths  decided to organise a clean-up and repair of the couple’s home, with the help of the SSE Group 4 students.

The first phase was done on 23/12/2012. In this first phase, the objectives that were intended to achieved were :

1. To clear up and removal  of  unwanted plants and bushes in the compound
2. To cut  overgrown grass
3. To clear all rubbish from the compound
4. Painting of the external wall

It was a long and tedious job as it had been a very very long time since any clean-up or repair had been in that house. There were overgrown bushes everywhere. Coconuts which had fallen were sprouting new plants. There were also empty coconut shells which contained stagnant water, breeding mosquitoes with  piles of rubbish here and there. Next thing was to paint the cement portion of the external wall. For the painting, scraping of the wall had to be done first as the condition of the wall was really bad. In addition, during the clean-up, it was noted that the drainage system had been blocked. It was decided on the spot to repair and make a new drain for them. Sand and cement were mixed and a new drain was laid out.

The second phase was done on 20/1/13. In this phase, the objective was to clear a decent amount of land and make a vegetable patch for them. The intention was to plant a few common and easy to grow vegetables, so that this elderly duo will have proper vegetables to eat at every meal. Among the seeds that were planted include lady’s finger, chilli and brinjals. The elderly lady was also taught  on how to maintain these plants in the future.

With Swami’s grace, all our objectives for this project were achieved. The youths felt a sense of achievement and the spirit of seva was  had  spurred them on.

The Youths together with the Group 4 students  are looking  forward to  carrying out  more service projects in the future.

Some Photos: