Foundation helps ensure every child gets to grow up in a family
PETALING JAYA: While orphanages are supposed to be temporary places for abandoned children until they are adopted, the reality is that most of them end up residing there far beyond their intended stay.
This deeply disturbed the late Datuk Adnan Mohd Tahir Adnan when he visited children’s homes during Ramadan two decades ago.
Then, he saw dozens of young faces longing for affection in crowded dormitories with their laughter dimmed by years of waiting.
“For me, it was quite an eye-opener and for him, it confirmed what he already believed – that children in all these orphanages needed a better place.
“When you look at the way they are living there, it’s not really conducive to their upbringing,” said Adnan’s wife Datin Elya Lim Abdullah.
Elya said her husband, who passed away in 2011, had always been drawn to charitable work, which led him to begin focusing his efforts to help these abandoned children in the early 2000s.
“The devastating 2004 tsunami, which left thousands of children orphaned, along with frequent news of abandoned newborns in 2005, only deepened his resolve,” she said.
Adnan eventually founded the OrphanCare Foundation in 2009, a Malaysian non-profit entity, built on a simple conviction that every child deserves a family and a home to grow up in.
Dedication: Elya (right) and Nor Aishah continue with the work that Elya’s late husband started when he founded OrphanCare Foundation in 2009. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
In its early days, Elya said OrphanCare relied on her and her husband’s personal funds to operate, as well as other trustees who joined, which later improved as they received donations.
They then opened their first headquarters and baby hatch in Kampung Tunku here, marking the start of Malaysia’s first such initiative.
The baby hatch, a small temperature-controlled compartment built into the wall of their headquarters, allowed mothers in crisis to leave their babies anonymously and safely with the organisation instead of abandoning them by the roadside.
“The hatches are little windows at the side of our office where people can leave their babies, along with any documentation if they wish.
“A sensor will let us know a baby has been placed inside, where a caretaker will then attend to the child, after which we make a police report before bringing them to the hospital for a check-up.
“Once declared healthy, we will help the baby go through the child court system to become eligible for adoption,” OrphanCare trustee Nor Aishah Osman said.
Potential adoptive parents are interviewed and screened by OrphanCare staff to not only ensure they are eligible but also if they have the finances and free time to look after the children.
From that single hatch, OrphanCare has since expanded its reach across Malaysia with offices in Johor Baru and Sungai Petani, as well as six additional hatches in collaboration with KPJ hospitals.
First step: One of the baby hatches operated by the foundation.
To date, Nor Aishah said the foundation has helped 702 babies with around 20% reunited with their birth families and 70% adopted into new homes.
Elya, who is also a foundation trustee, said they also extend a helping hand to older children in government-run homes, who remain institutionalised for years.
She said this is because some of these children were victims of abuse within the home while others were labelled as “beyond control”, meaning their families are unable or unfit to take them back.
“Their living conditions there are not ideal as they lack a parental figure.
“These children need to be nurtured and prepared to be sent home. They must not be institutionalised,” she said.
OrphanCare has also helped 31 older children find adoptive families and 86 others reintegrate with their biological families.
Reintegration, Elya explained, is only approved when parents are financially and emotionally ready, and when both sides want it.
“It must be mutually agreed upon, both parent and child must want it,” she said, in addition to the parents meeting the other key criteria to provide for the child.
Prospective adoptive parents also undergo mandatory training and counselling.
“We always ask them how they would parent a child to suit their lifestyle, then provide advice or recommendations.
“For babies, only couples can adopt, but for older children, single parents can, too.
“Single mothers may adopt any gender while single fathers may adopt boys only,” Elya added.
OrphanCare also monitors all adoptive families closely for two years after placement, conducting three home visits to ensure the children are adapting well.
The foundation also runs the Birth Mother Support Programme, aimed at helping desperate new mothers in need where they provide them with guidance and support.
“We help them take care of the baby and get back on their feet, which includes helping them find a job with sufficient pay to support the mother and the child.
“If the mother is a student, we help her find financing, so she can continue her education while caring for her child,” she said.
Beyond its direct programmes, the foundation focuses heavily on prevention, reaching out to low-income communities to raise awareness on preventing parents from abandoning their children.
“Poverty should never be a reason to abandon your child, which is why if you have problems, let us help you solve them step by step,” she said.
Today, the foundation stands as a model for child welfare work in Malaysia with its efforts earning national recognition, including becoming one of this year’s Star Golden Hearts Awards (SGHA) winners.
“Winning the award gives us a platform to highlight our efforts and fight for children, as well as a tribute to my husband and founder, whose vision continues to drive us forward.
“Hopefully, the award along with further support from the public will allow us to build more baby hatches, assist more birth mothers and establish a dedicated shelter for mothers in crisis,” Elya said.
For their noble efforts, OrphanCare Foundation is named as one of the 10 winners of the SGHA 2025.
SGHA is an annual award by The Star that honours everyday Malaysian unsung heroes.
For details, visit sgha.com.my.
