JOHOR BARU: Paul Sia Yong Sin was a school dropout for about two years, before his foster father took him in and he was given a chance to continue his studies.
After completing his SPM, the 21-year-old Orang Asli pursued a diploma in solar technology.
He became the first higher education graduate in his village, Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Salam, in Ulu Tiram.
Not only was he able to complete his formal education and work in Johor Baru, his three sisters also followed in his footsteps.
“My parents, both fishermen, could not afford to pay for my studies so I dropped out after Year Six and worked at a fish farm in my village for two years to support my family.
“Things changed when my foster father Jonathan Seng Chin Heng decided to take me and my siblings in as his own. He provided us with shelter, education and even sent us to and from school daily,” Sia said in an interview.
Sia, who now works as a fast food chain trainer in Johor Baru, said he was motivated by Seng.
The youth added that he put in extra effort to catch up with his studies after dropping out and was glad that he managed to finish his SPM before pursuing his diploma studies.
He attributed his achievements to Seng, who helped to source funds from churches and donors.
Sia, the eldest in his family, and his sisters aged 18, 15 and 11, said they decided to pay tribute to Seng in conjunction with Fathers Day by ordering a cake for him.
Besides Sia and his sisters, Seng and his family have also fostered a total of 22 Orang Asli children in the past seven years, with the youngest being a year old.
Five years ago, Seng also fostered Rosali Azlan, 12, and his four siblings, after their biological father deserted them.
“Although my real father is not by my side, I feel that I never lacked the love of a father.
“We mix well with his family and I can feel that they love us as their own,” he said.
Seng, who is a pastor at a church in Skudai, said most of the children came from underprivileged or neglected backgrounds – some too poor to stay in school and others from broken homes.
Seng, 63, said he started fostering after a non-governmental organisation that he partnered with suddenly vanished with the collected funds, just three months into a rural outreach programme, leaving the children abandoned.
“Since then, my wife and I decided to step in to help the children even without formal backing. Many told me to just send the kids back to their villages but I knew in my heart that I could not just walk away,” he said.
Although the kids see him as a father figure, he insisted they call him “pastor”, saying: “This is a reminder for them not to forget their biological father.”
Seng said that all he wishes for is for the younger generation to rise up and take charge of their lives.
