Berjaya staff and media at Sari Saujana

Berjaya Hotels & Resorts staff and media representatives from Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru recently held a gotong-royong to tidy up Sari Saujana Handicapped Children’s Home in Johor Baru.

One for the album: Berjaya Hotels & Resorts staff and
media representatives from KL and JB with residents of
Sari Saujana Handicapped Children's Home in JB

Armed with brooms and dust pans, the visitors got down to cleaning up the home’s backyard, located at Jalan Stulang off Jalan Stuland Darat, just a short driving distance away from the Berjaya Waterfront Hotel JB.  The home, started by Siti Sarimah Haji Sariman 14 years ago to shelter handicapped and children of single parents at nearby Jalan Yahya Aldatar, moved to the current premises two years ago and continues to care for 30 children aged between 3 and 18.

“It is the corporate policy of Berjaya Hotels & Resorts to adopt charities that are situated close to their properties and particularly those which are not funded by Government grants,” said Corporate Marketing & Communications Group Director, Abel Nelson Nang.  

Cleaning up the backyard the gotong-royong way!

A visit to the home was part of the itinerary he planned for a group of more than 35 media personnel from KL and JB who were visiting the city for an experience of the recently refurbished Berjaya Waterfront Hotel JB and some of the city’s popular tourist attractions.

"Sari Saujana was named after my father, Sariman, and my own name, Sarimah, while the word Saujana was borrowed from the official residence of the Johor Menteri Besar who helped me establish this home so many years ago,” said Siti Sarimah who went on to explain that the home depended on public funds and the goodwill of generous donors.  

Some of the young residents [seated] eating the box lunches
sponsored by Berjaya Waterfront Hotel JB

To generate income, she runs a charity shop in Danga City Mall which also stocks a range of Coca Cola merchandise that are popular with collectors.  She also accepts reusable items including household equipment, toys and clothes for resale.

Siti Sarimah, who has 5 children of her own, is deeply grateful for the support from Berjaya and other sources, and is determined to give the children a good education.  

Of the 30 children, only 10 live-in now while the others from single-parent families come to her for day-care.  The last handicapped child under her care up to age 18, returned to his own family last year.

To support, Sari Saujana Handicapped Children’s Home, visit their charity shop at unit L4-42 on level 4 of Danga City Mall or call Tel: 016 – 711 7727 to arrange delivery of reusable items.

A version of this was published in The Malaysian Insider on 10 Aug 2015