Rebuilding Hope For Child Refuge Centre

Recovering Hope By Rebuilding Lives

We set out to help the Womens’ Aid Organisation’s Child Refuge Centre recover and rebuild.

In January 2016, REHDA Youth signed a MOU with the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) to rebuild their Child Refuge Centre. Home to 16 kids with some accompanied by their mothers, the centre serves as a shelter for child victims of domestic abuse, while also acting as a base for WAO to provide specialised child counselling therapy to any traumatised children.

Due to a sudden fire that broke out within the home in December 2016 however, the centre had to be urgently rebuilt as it was no longer habitable.

Instead of utilising the usual route of fundraising and monetary donations, REHDA Youth decided to adopt a unique CSR model that invited industry participation in kind. To this end, REHDA Youth aims to manage the construction of the centre and utilise its resources through its various network of consultants, contractors and building materials suppliers. The project has since garnered many donations of pro-bono services and building materials in kind.

The home has been designed to cater specifically to WAO’s needs, a modern facility to house 16 children with 3 full-time caretakers. It will house an adequate number of bathrooms and toilets, a communal dining hall with facilities for study rooms, child counselling and a small administration office for the WAO.

In line with one of REHDA Youth’s pillars, the centre has been designed to fulfil the criteria as a Platinum-rated green building under GreenRE’s rating system. This will greatly benefit the WAO as it reduces operating costs of the home by at least 30% due to the efficient use of utilities such as electricity and water. Moreover, the use of low VOC paints and adhesives, green-certified timber and building materials ensures a healthy living environment for the children.

The project has received planning approval in May 2018 from MBPJ and construction is slated to commence in April of 2019 upon receiving approval.