More than just a kerb store

Charity with dignity: The pop-up free street store concept of Kedai Jalanan allows the homeless and urban poor in Kuala Lumpur to browse and pick what they need. — Picture courtesy of Kedai Jalanan

It is not just provisions that student initiative Kedai Jalanan bring to the KL homeless and urban poor, they also try to lend them a friendly ear.

MALAYSIANS are, in general, charitable. Many will not hesitate to lend a helping hand to those in need. Unfortunately sometimes, our insensitive side undoes that celebrated altruism.

Like during the aid drive for the victims of the big, bad 2014 floods – a woman reportedly blew her top off when her used underwear was rejected, crying out, “But they’re branded... you just wash them and they’ll be good.”

Vowing to be more empathetic, a group of students from Universiti Malaya chose a pop-up free street store concept for their project to help the homeless and urban poor in Kuala Lumpur.

The monthly Kedai Jalanan (or Street Shop) initiated by the UM Gender Studies Programme faculty and students provides clothes and toiletries to their street customers in a “shop” setup – clothes are hung up on racks while the other items are displayed in boxes – to enable them to browse and pick what they need.

“When we were volunteering at the soup kitchens, we noticed that when people donate clothes they usually dump them on the floor and there will be a tussle when those who need them try to get the clothes they want. Women, older folks and children are often left out.

“So we decided to set up our store in a way that our street customers can ‘shop’ with dignity and respect,” project adviser Dr Rusaslina Idrus explains.

Teaming up with Dapur Jalanan and the Need To Feed The Needy or NFN, the group has been setting up their kedai next to the soup kitchens at Jalan Panggong and Lorong Medan Tunku once a month, to give out free clothes, toiletries, and even new underwear, they have collected from donors.

Now, almost a year on, Kedai Jalanan has not only earned the street community’s appreciation, but also trust.

“Our volunteers take time to converse and interact with the customers, learning more about their life stories and having meaningful exchanges.

“One thing we learned is that more than the clothes and toiletries, what our street customers appreciate the most is a good conversation,” Dr Rusaslina adds.

Volunteer Kamarul Ariffin believes that Kedai Jalanan’s effort to treat the homeless community as individuals is key.

“I feel that everyone involved in the different initiatives to help the homeless already respect their dignity as a fellow human being,” the second year student in International Relations humbly downplays Kedai Jalanan’s uniqueness.

What they try hard to do at Kedai Jalanan, he says, is to make their street customers feel valued.

“I think that’s important – to make them feel a sense of belonging to our community, not just an invisible group in the middle of the cosmopolitan city.

“Everybody has different reasons for living like that. We just need to understand them and create a safe space for them to empower themselves for a better future.”

Volunteering at Kedai Jalanan has allowed him to get a deeper insight of their plight, Kamarul adds.

“Most people think that a homeless person is someone who had failed in life, or had committed a crime, so he or she doesn’t have a place in our society. But I think every person deserves a second chance.”

And contrary to common perception, many feel uncomfortable to ask for things or help, he says.

“I still remember what someone said to me, ‘Segan saya lah, (I’m so embarrassed), you don’t only give me a free shirt, you also fold it for me...’ I didn’t know what to say,” Kamarul shares.

It cannot be denied that the interactions have touched the Kedai Jalanan volunteers as much, one hope, the homeless indivi­duals themselves.

Puteri Nurcarrina Anuar, who is currently doing her Masters in Public Administration at UM’s Economy and Administrations Faculty, says she got a reality check not only on the state of the homeless but also life in general from the project.

“When I candidly asked a Malay uncle in his late 50s, where he came from, he pointed and said he’s from under the nearby bridge. That was the last time I ever asked any of our customers where they came from,” she shares.

And when she tries to offer some of them more items, she adds, they often turn her down.

“Instead, they would ask me to keep the things for the others; because ‘There would be more coming,’ they said.

“It made me realise that people who have less tend to be more mindful of others, mainly because they know how it feels to not have anything at all,” remarks Puteri Nurcarrina.

It has also made her realise how important it is to help others, she says.

“It has made me realise that we were not born where we are today, neither did we reach this point alone. Somewhere along the way, someone helped us out and lent a helping hand when you could not help yourself. So, it is essential that we reach out and give back to people who may have fallen on rough times.”

Crucially, Kedai Jalanan has helped the young volunteers to shed their fear and prejudice of the homeless and urban poor community.

When final year student Caroline Wong saw a homeless man sleeping near her house, she says she did not think twice about helping him.

“When I told my sister and brother-in-law to wait for me in the car while I go over to give him some water and food, they warned me to be careful, because, as they said, I didn’t know how he will react or what he has that can harm me...blah blah blah...” she says.

“I realised that because of my experience with Kedai Jalanan, I had no fear, just empathy for him,” says Wong.

While Kedai Jalanan may not be able to end the misery of the homeless or change their life, she hopes the little help and interaction they offer can help at least brighten their day.

Now the volunteers are gearing up for the next Kedai Jalanan which will be held next Sunday, May 22.

“It is special because it is the project’s one-year anniversary and we hope we will be able to continue for another year at least,” says Dr Rusaslina, conceding that they would not have come this far if not for the kind donors who have made various contributions to the cause every month.

“We hope we can collect more things for our next Kedai. We get a lot of women’s clothes, so this time we hope to get more donations of men’s clothes, as well as soap, shampoo, minyak angin, toothpaste, toothbrush, single sleeper mat or folded mat (tikar lipat) and backpacks,” she says.

For more details, go to the Gender Studies University of Malaya facebook page or email [e-mail]

If you are interested in donating items (except for women’s clothes) Kedai Jalanan has a dropbox at the foyer of the History Department, Faculty of Arts and Social\ Sciences, Universiti Malaya.