With
the support of Think City Johor Baru, the old wing of the building for NGO,
Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation or JARO, was renovated and is now ready
to welcome visitors again.
JARO has a proud heritage in Johor Baru and is an
established brand for quality products that are handmade by people with
disabilities. 
Entrance to the showroom in the recently
renovated Lim Kee Jin Wing of JARO
The disabled have been given opportunities to be
gainfully employed in the JARO sheltered workshops for bookbinding, basketry,
tailoring, and handicrafts since 1952.
My
family and I treasure a long relationship with JARO as we have been using their products over the
years and proudly presenting their beautiful, quality and useful handicrafts
as gifts to friends and family, both locally and abroad.
At
the inaugural Iskandar Malaysia Social Heroes Award (IMSHA) gala event in 2014,
I had the joy to witness how JARO was honoured as the deserving
recipient of the prestigious Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Iskandar Malaysia
Ultimate Social Hero Award.
Attractive display in the JARO showroom
to welcome shoppers this festive season
With the festive season just around the corner, it is
timely that the refurbished showroom is now to open for shoppers to browse
around and choose quality handicrafts to present as gifts and souvenirs.
This building was
officially declared open in November 1968 by then Deputy Prime Minister
of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak Dato Hussain.
At an event held on April 6, 2013, this building was
official renamed the Lim Kee Jin Wing to honour the contributions by Dato’ Dr
Lim Kee Jin who was Chairman of JARO from 1962 to 2007, a role which he held
for 46 years.
A section of the showroom with handicrafts
by the bookbinding and tailoring workshops
The work at JARO has its origins in 1952 when Dr
Beryl Wilberforce-Smith, a Chest Physician in the Johor Baru
General Hospital, now called Sultanah Aminah Hospital,
started to rehabilitate recovering tuberculosis patients by training them with
skills in basketry, book-binding and tailoring.
This rehabilitation workshop was then a unit of the
Malaysian Anti-Tuberculosis Association.
These patients came under the care of Dato’ Dr Lim
Kee Jin in 1958 when he was posted to the hospital as Consultant Physician.
This started Lim on a life-long mission to
rehabilitate special people by training and equipping them with marketable
skills so that they could have a sense of dignity with financial independence.
Another section of the showroom
As the workshops started accepting rehabilitees
with other disabilities, the rehabilitation workshop changed its identity to
Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation or JARO, a registered charitable society
and sheltered workshop.
When
Lim stepped down from his role in 2008 for health reasons, Dato’ Jimmy Low Boon
Hong took over as Chairman of the Jaro Management Committee, while Lim’s wife,
Datin Patricia Lim, a professional historian and author
of many books, continues to
serve in this committee.
Before Lim relinquished his role, he said, “We need
to re-examine JARO’s mission to rehabilitate and train people with disabilities
for gainful employment and operate a sheltered workshop for those who are
unable to find employment. 
Furniture made from rattan or cane
We need to expand and improve our existing
facilities for these purposes and network with other welfare bodies not only in
Johor but throughout Malaysia as well as organizations for the
disabled throughout the world.”
Lim’s words have indeed turned into reality when
Think City Johor Baru and a host of big-hearted volunteers stepped up to
support JARO in the building renovation project to upgrade its showroom and
workshop section in the basement.
Think City is a wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah
Malaysia, established as a city-making institution to support the
evolving urban landscape and to look at ways to make our cities more
innovative, resilient and liveable.
Useful items with designs sketched by
Yap Hanzhen, Johor's gifted artist
Think City started out in Georgetown by undertaking
a baseline study to fully understand the city – among other things – who lived
there, what people did, how buildings were used.
From understanding the city and its challenges,
they moved towards incubation where they either initiated projects or helped
the community to initiate and carry out their own projects under a Grants
Programme.
In 2017, I had the privilege to partner with Think
City Johor Baru in their Grants Programme, and with the support of MPH
Publishing, Kuala Lumpur, published my book – which neither of us knew, would end
up as an MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller!
"Simply Butterflies" was created by Hanzhen
for me: He presented a framed sketch to me!
Incidentally,
I had featured the work of several NGOs including that of JARO, in an exclusive
story, A tribute to our unsung heroes, in my bestseller, My Johor
Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage.
In
the recently renovated building, the wide entrance to the Lim Kee Jin Wing remains
unchanged while the Reception counter and pay-point are arranged close to the
rear wall of the lobby.
I
could see to the left of the main entrance, through floor-to-ceiling glass
walls, the showroom which has been extended to display a wide range of quality
merchandise for visitors to shop in air-c0nditioned comfort.
Once again JARO is
poised to become a popular destination for everyone who appreciates quality
handmade products.
It was pure nostalgia to see the
range of rattan baskets and furniture for sale because we have been using these
in our family and handed them down through generations.
The book section with a display of books supported by Think City Johor Baru
There were also attractive displays of products
from their bookbinding, basketry, and tailoring workshops as well as decoupage
handicrafts contributed by volunteers.
One section of the showroom was dedicated to the
distinctive designs and products that feature the art by Johor’s gifted young
artist, Yap Hanzhen.
I
am familiar with Hanzhen and his gift in sketching and drawing because I had
the privilege to feature him along with Johor personalities who have impacted other
lives, in my 2017 bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People,
Rich Heritage.
With
the success of Book One, Think City encouraged me to publish its sequel, My
Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, which was
launched in December 2018.
Meanwhile
I was aware that Think City was also supporting Datin Pat
Lim to publish a reprint of her book, Johor: Local History, Local
Landscapes 1855 to 1957, a valuable resource that was first published in 2009.
This book is now
available from the JARO showroom, displayed among various books supported by Think
City. While my eyes were riveted to her book, I could not help spotting the
familiar cover designs of my books!
Limited number of My Johor Stories books
are now available for sale at the all-new JARO
I am delighted that
the books supported by Think City available for sale at JARO included a limited
number of my books, My Johor
Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage and My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and
Inspirational People.
So
JARO supporters and everyone in search of something special this festive
season, are welcome to browse around the showroom to shop for gifts and
souvenirs.
JARO is located
along Jalan Sungai Chat, between Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar (English College) and the
building complex for Yayasan Warisan Johor (Johor Heritage Foundation).
Open Sunday to
Thursday from 8am to 5pm, closed on Friday, Saturday and Public Holidays. Tel:
607 – 2245632.
Note: The nearest MPH bookstore to Johor Baru is located at Aero
Mall, linked to Senai International Airport. My books are also available from
MPH bookstores nationwide and online from www.mphonline.com
