Showing posts with label WCAB Wanita MCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WCAB Wanita MCA. Show all posts

Monday, November 2, 2009

周美芬:擴展服務領域‧政府欲增加輔導員

星洲日報/大都會‧2009.10.31


周美芬(左)為馬華兒童、婦女輔導室主持剪綵儀式,前排右一起為鄭雅允、潘有禮、周麗玉和張亞蓮,后排左2為郭誠輝。(圖:星洲日報)


周美芬(中)分發福利金給一名樂齡人士。前排右起:郭誠輝、周麗玉及張亞蓮。(圖:星洲日報)

(雪蘭莪‧適耕莊)婦女、家庭與社會發展部副部長拿汀巴都卡周美芬指出,為了進一步擴展社會輔導服務領域,政府正努力增加輔導服務人員的數量。

周美芬也是馬華全國婦女組主席,她說,至今向婦女組登記的輔導員,在全國共有1865人,其中510人在政府機構服務,368人在教育學院工作及826人在學校執行任務。”

她說,私人界的輔導員只有109人及非政府團體有52名,因此,成立類似婦女輔導室和兒童援助單位十分重要,以便能更有效的協助需要輔導的婦女和援助的兒童解決問題。”

大港輔導室開幕
周美芬是週六(10月31日)早上在適耕莊馬青大港區團適耕莊州選區服務中心為馬華大港區會婦女組成立的兒童、婦女援助輔導室主持開幕儀式暨分發政府福利援助金的活動上致詞時,發表上述談話。

她相信馬華大港區會婦女組設立的輔導室,將能為大港區的婦女和兒童提供有素質的輔導服務。
沙白110人獲福利援助金
她說,在沙白縣福利局配合下,共有110人在週六分發的福利援助金下受惠,今年11月份分發的總援助金共2萬7650令吉。

她說,政府十分關注所有需要援助的一群,尤其是殘障人士、老人、單親媽媽和小孩。為了確保提供援助的管道能全面有效及快速處理,首相署研究及推行小組正籌備設立一個主要的電子愛心資料中心。

週六早上出席此活動者包括馬華全國婦女兒童援助局主任周麗玉、馬華大港區會婦女組主席張亞蓮、馬華大港區會主席郭誠輝、區團團長潘有禮、沙白縣福利官諾拉蒂卡、聯邦A村村長韋東、B村村長吳海發和海口村長謝湖平等等。

張亞蓮:成立輔導室提供諮詢
馬華大港區會婦女組主席張亞蓮指出,區會婦女組成立兒童、婦女援助輔導室的主要目的是協助弱質婦孺,提供諮詢,在他們需要幫助時,給予關懷與援助。

她說,尤其是在鄉村及漁村的婦孺,往往遇到家暴、婚姻及孩子的問題,或是生活上的困難,都不知從甚麼管道尋求協助。

張亞蓮是在兒童、婦女援助輔導家開幕儀式暨分發福利援助金活動上致詞時這麼說。

她表示,大港區女婦女組在今年派出4名執委到總部接收5次的輔導訓練課程,她們是李梅珠、鄭雅允、李紹英和她本人。

她說,雖然我們不是全職或專業的輔導員。但是,我們可以透過耐心的聆聽,以緩和求助者的情緒,扮演橋樑角色,必要時,以最快的時間,安排求助者向警方、法律顧問及福利部求助。

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

周美芬:馬僅擁1621輔導員‧郊區欠缺輔導服務

星洲日報‧2009.10.02

(沙巴‧亞庇)婦女、家庭及社會發展部副部長拿汀巴杜卡周美芬今日(週五,10月2日)指出,大馬目前僅有1621名專業輔導員,而且大多都在政府部門工作。

她說,雖然也有非政府組織提供輔導服務,但大多都集中在城市,無法有效的為郊區人民服務。
周美芬也是馬華婦女組主席。她週五早上在兵南邦麗都為馬華沙巴州婦女組新辦事處暨婦女兒童援助局輔導中心開幕後說,婦女組自2006年便成立婦女兒童緩助單位,協助需要開導服務的婦女群体,也幫助她們舒解情緒上的壓力。

培訓百餘名輔導志工
她說,婦女組迄今培訓了百餘名輔導志工,並在國內各地的婦女組區會設立了30間輔導室,提供相關的服務。

她說,馬華的婦女兒童援助局也接受處理有關性侵犯、家庭暴力、強姦、侮辱婦女、亂倫及婚姻生活上所遭遇到的問題。

“這些輔導中心當中有17間是在雪州,地點大多都在區會會所,目的是希望郊區的人民也能享有此服務。現時所有州屬都有這項服務,除了砂拉越,因為馬華在此州尚未有聯委會。”

男性也到中心求助
她說,當局的服務對向不受限於婦女和兒童而已,也有男性到當局的輔導中心獲得輔導服務。

她也鼓勵馬華沙巴婦女組,在未來一年將輔導中心的服務擴展至10個區會,尤其是座落在郊區的區會。

Sabah women get more help

The Star News: Saturday October 3, 2009

KOTA KINABALU: More help is now available for women in Sabah facing difficulties with the opening of the state’s first Wanita MCA Women and Children’s Aid Bureau centre.

Wanita MCA chief Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said the bureau’s first Sabah centre in the city would serve as a platform for the opening of more such facilities statewide particularly in rural areas.

“We would like to see more of these centres in Sabah especially in rural areas where counselling services are needed as well,” she said after opening the first aid bureau at the Sabah Wanita office here yesterday.

Also present were Sabah MCA chief Datuk Edward Khoo and state Wanita MCA chief Datuk Agnes Shim.

MCA Wanita has so far opened 30 aid centres around the country except in Sarawak where the party has no presence.

Chew, who is also Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said Wanita MCA would be strengthening its existing aid centres around the country before opening more.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Chew: Train more counsellors

The Star Online News: Monday August 24, 2009


(photos : CFL)

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need to train more para-counsellors to reach out to those in need, says Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

She said at present, there was a lack of qualified counsellors with only 1,621 professionals, most of whom were working in schools.

“We recognise the need for counselling services and we have counsellors under our various agencies.

“We will strengthen these services through consultative dialogues and expansion initiatives,” said Chew at the launch of the party wing’s Women and Children Aid Bureau counselling room in Wisma MCA here yesterday.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, who was also present at the launch, said women should be given sufficient knowledge and exposure to various skills so that they might become successful and economically self-reliant.

Ong pointed out that Wanita MCA had taken a painstaking effort to provide counselling services for women and children, which were often viewed as being “highly challenging.”

Earlier at the closing ceremony of the 30-Hour Famine, Ong said more volunteers were now coming forward to serve the people.

“You Share, We Care”

Speech by Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun on
Launch of Women and Children Aid Bureau of Wanita MCA (WCAB) Counselling Room
@ 23 Aug 2009
Opening of Women & Children Aid Counselling Room by YB Dato' Sri Ong Tee Keat.
Signing of MOU with WAO, AWAM, LifeLine, Mitraline and Selangor Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall
Group photo of all State WCAB (Women & Children Aid Bureau) representatives.
(photos by CFL)
A very good Sunday morning to all of you. On behalf of Wanita MCA, I thank all of you for taking time off this beautiful Sunday morning to be with us to witness the launch of a para-counselling centre here on the 7th floor of MCA Headquarters.

Counselling centres play a pivotal role in societies particularly for individuals and families who are overwhelmed by challenges in their life. As such, counselling centres may very well serve as a support net in assisting individuals and families in distress deal with their pressing concerns. However, in reality where there is a generally lack of qualified and professionally trained counsellors.

To date, we have 1621 registered counsellors nationally. A large proportion of the registered counsellors in Malaysia are civil servants working with the government namely as teacher counsellors in schools, or under the Welfare Department or better known as the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM).

Thus, para-counselling centres may be able to cast a wider net and effectively reach out to a more extensive target group. Even though para-counsellors may not be officially registered or trained systematically professional counsellors, para-counsellors nonetheless play an instrumental role as a frontliner who contribute in terms of providing timely and preliminary para-counselling services to the public.

Given that most counselling units of NGOs are generally centred in urban areas, which may not be accessible to most, thus it is the aspiration of this Women and Children Aid Bureau (WCAB) of Wanita MCA to fill in the lacuna of few support services particularly in rural areas.

Recognising that women and children form essential parts of a family unit thus it is paramount that rights and interests are protected and promoted, Wanita MCA Selangor since 30 April 2006 has trained more than a hundred para-counsellors and established seventeen (17) para-counselling units in 17 divisions out of total 22 divisions across the state of Selangor. Equipped with the mission to empower women to make informed decisions in order to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life, these para-counselling units aim to provide para-counselling services to support women and children in need.

Following a few successive years of operation and driven by the motivation to expand such services to other states where there is a generally lack of counselling centres, Wanita MCA once again commissioned a professional counsellor-training organisation to equip our para-counsellors with necessary skills and knowledge. Recently there are another 100 over para counsellors completed a four one-day sessions conducted by LifeLine Association Malaysia in the span of four months. The sessions conducted include an initial session on self-exploration, followed by a couple of sessions on basic counselling skills training and lastly, a practical training session where para-counsellors put to test what they have learned in the role-playing session in the presence of a trainer consultant.

Recognising the need for a systematic and professional training programme in ensuring the provision of effective and efficient services to women and children in need, we will continue to train our para-counsellors. Even though a batch of para-counsellors may have “graduated” from recent intensive para-counselling sessions, we recognise that there may be limitation particularly in terms of lack of experience and also the fact that they are not “expert” and “professional counsellors”.

As such, we need help from others. We need to network with others, with you. We are really grateful that so many organisations which provide counselling services are willing to collaborate with us. WAO, AWAM, LifeLine, Mitraline and Selangor Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall are here with us for the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony for a partnership in extending timely, appropriate and quality services to women and children in need.

Given invaluable support from our soon to be partners, we can proudly announce that we are ready to serve women and children in the community. After today’s launch, we will set up counselling rooms in all the other states soon. If you refer to our leaflet, counselling hours for each counselling centre across other states have been scheduled and will be operating nationwide very soon.

I would like to thank Ms Chew Lee Geok- the Chief of the Women and Children Aid Unit (WCAU) of Wanita Selangor and presently the Chief of Women and Children Aid Bureau (WCAB) at the national level for her tireless effort in putting all this together. My thanks also to the committee members- Ivy Lim, Serene Ting, Lee Shook Fong, Mei Fong, Wong Ngan, ­Wong Siau Ying, Siew Jing and those who help for their hardwork. My apologies if I have left out any names but all in all, thanks for all your contribution.

Also, would like to extend special thanks to Ms Leong Huey Mei, a clinical psychologist and our trainers who conducted a series of training for Wanita Selangor in 2006. She has been extremely instrumental in helping us set up all the para-counselling rooms in Selangor. We would also like to thank Xu Dan Ping, Li Zhi Xiang and all the trainer/ facilitators who trained our pool of para-counsellors.

The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development recognises the need of counselling services, in fact all the 3 main agencies under the ministry namely JPW, LPPKN and JKM have their own counsellors throughout the country. We are going to further strengthen the services through consultative dialogue and expansion of services. These are in the pipeline at the moment, however we need concerted effort from all parties to ensure provision of effective and quality services to the public.

Lastly, For your information, the Women and Children Aid Unit (WCAU) which was set up to support women and children through the provision of para-counselling services is in line with the 7 Directions and 5 Plans of Wanita MCA. In accordance to the 5th plan of Action of Wanita MCA, WCAB sets out to fulfil professionalization of the core missions of women.

Thank you for joining us once again. Together we shall continue to provide services to help women and children make informed choices to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life. Thank you.

馬華婦女組成立援助局為各族婦孺服務

星洲日報.2009.08.23

(吉隆坡)馬華總會長拿督斯里翁詩傑表示,馬華婦女組全國婦女兒童援助局在不受政治或政黨左右下,不分種族、性別及宗教為民服務。

他今日(週日,8月23日)為馬華婦女組全國婦女兒童援助局暨輔導室主持推介禮後表示,援助局及輔導室的成立不是為了趕時髦,而是希望成為一個專為婦孺提供咨詢及協助的全國性組織。
他說,援助局不僅可為婦孺提供生活上的輔導援助,更希望能協助婦女學習自立及經濟獨立。
馬華婦女組主席拿汀巴杜卡周美芬表示,馬華全國婦女兒童援助局在全國13個州屬設立30個輔導室,以有效為有需要的婦孺提供各項輔導服務和咨詢。
她指出,從2006年迄今,輔導室已處理超過260宗各項輔導案例,這些案例都會通過文書系統進行整理。
她說,為了提昇援助局的服務效率,當局與生命線、婦女援助機構(WAO)、全國婦女醒覺運動組織(AWAM)、檀香愛心福利中心及隆雪華堂婦女組輔導中心,共同簽署精明夥伴備忘錄,以尋求更專業的協助及訓練。
出席者包括翁詩傑夫人拿汀斯里徐玉珍及馬華婦女組婦女兒童援助局主任周麗玉。