Yet for some, Christmas can be bittersweet.
For the past decade, St Mary’s Agape Mission School in Kuala Lumpur, has been a safe haven for over 50 refugee children from Myanmar’s Chin state. These predominantly Christian families, who fled their home country due to religious persecution, exemplify what it means to make the best of life with the little that they have.
Joining them on their last day of school before the holidays, FMT Lifestyle was welcomed with song.
Dr Tan Mei Ying, formerly a medical practitioner, and now a board director and teacher at the school, stands at the core of the students’ success. Christmas, for Tan, has taken on a special meaning.
“Yes, Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. But what I really believe, which is central to our faith, is that Christmas is about loving our neighbour, and loving those who have less than us,” she told FMT Lifestyle.
Twenty years after earning her medical degree and living in the UK, Tan never expected to become a philanthropist until she moved to Indonesia with her family, where she began teaching at an orphanage.
“I found that there was nothing quite so satisfying or rewarding as teaching a child, and seeing the realisation light up in their eyes when they learn something new,” she shared.
In 2012, upon returning to Malaysia, Tan devoted herself to full-time volunteer work at St Mary’s Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur, where she took charge of a Myanmar refugee school. That was the beginning of her journey with the Chin community.
“I stepped into the school and realised that many of the children were not studying, because they didn’t have any volunteers, the curriculum wasn’t good enough, and they were basically being babysat.”
Today, thanks to Tan and a team of dedicated volunteers, the school offers high-quality education, as evidenced by this year’s average mark – an impressive 95.1%!
Many of the school’s graduates have since resettled in the US, and flourish as business owners, professionals in various fields, and more. Much of their success is attributed to the foundations laid at this humble school established in 2014.
However, it’s not just academics; these kids are given the opportunity to shine through music and singing too.
“We use singing as a way to help them with their English, because it makes them enunciate well.” Tan added, “Singing together also breaks down many barriers because we have children that come from many different tribes, who speak different languages.”
In 2018, the school also initiated a social enterprise centred on the art of crocheting. The Lametna project, which means ‘hope’ in Chin, is aimed at providing refugee women with a means to earn a living.
“The initial batch of crochet animals they made were so bad that I was begging people to buy them,” Tan shared with a chuckle.
Later, however, many teenage girls at the school, along with their mothers, upped their crochet game, producing stellar products that have garnered a loyal following of customers.
A key contributor to the Lametna project is a 36-year-old mother of three who has lived in Malaysia for nine years. Having learnt not long ago that her father had been shot and killed back home, she said Christmas was no longer the same. Yet, it’s this school, and the crocheting, that keeps her going.
“These girls started out not knowing anything about business. Now, they have conversations about income versus profit,” Tan said. “They’ve come a long way with this and it’s great to see them become such well-rounded individuals.”
Speaking about her aspirations for the future of this school, Tan shared: “My biggest hope is that we will become unnecessary. I hope that someday, one day, there will not need to be a refugee school.”
Check out St Mary’s Agape Mission School’s Website, and follow them on Facebook. Follow the Lametna Project on Instagram.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram