Karimata and Som (fifth and sixth from left) with other guests at the ceremony to launch the new lift at Wisma Harapan, Brickfields.
THE Japanese Embassy sponsored a new lift at Wisma Harapan in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, to the Selangor and Federal Territory Association for The Mentally Handicapped (SAMH).
The installation of the lift was made possible by the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) scheme, Japan’s financial aid programme.
The GGP was launched in 1989 to empower a wide range of community-based organisations working at grassroots level to ensure and enhance human security in medicine, education and environment, among others.
The grant was awarded to SAMH in 2020 but the project for the supply and installation of the lift was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as some technical glitches.
The Japanese Embassy was represented by deputy chief of mission Atsushi Karimata.
The installation of the lift enabled easier access for the older trainees and staff of the four-storey Wisma Harapan and has also eased movement for students who have mobility challenges.
In his speech, Karimata said that SAMH was one of the recipients of the GGP in 2020 and was awarded RM115,000 to instal a lift at the association’s headquarters to improve the facilities and infrastructure for the mentally challenged.
Since its inception, the GGP scheme has awarded over RM20mil to 161 projects.
He also said that the lift installation aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Number 4 which seeks “Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education” for all and hopes that it will further strengthen Japan–Malaysia cooperation and goodwill.
SAMH president Datin Som Roslan thanked the Japanese Embassy and government for making the lift a reality.
SAMH was established in 1964 as a non-governmental organisation and serves 200 mentally challenged children and adults in its two centres at Brickfields and Klang, Selangor.
