KECHARA

30
HIGHLIGHTS • KECHARA SOUP KITCHEN
HENRY OOI NOW HELMS KSK
Henry Ooi (fourth from left) is now the President of KSK.
On behalf of H.E. the 25th
Tsem Rinpoche and the Board
of Directors of Kechara, Datuk
May Phng, President of Kechara
House announced a change in
the leadership of Kechara Soup
Kitchen (KSK).
A new committee was charged
with the management of KSK
under the leadership of new
President Henry Ooi Seong Huat
to take forward the good work
started by Dato’ Ruby Khong,
who served as president for six
years since 2009.
The work and contributions
of KSK will continue to grow
and benefit the lives of the
underprivileged under the
leadership of Henry, who is
a long-time student of Tsem
Rinpoche. Henry now embarks
on a new journey as the President
of KSK and it is guaranteed that
his care and concern for the wellbeing
of others will continue to
shine forth.
KSK was inspired by Tsem
Rinpoche, the Founder and
Spiritual Advisor of Kechara. As
a young child, Tsem Rinpoche
was often hungry and after years
of physical and emotional abuse,
he ran away from home when
he was 15 years old. Since that
experience, Tsem Rinpoche has
always donated food to the poor
and encouraged others to do
the same.
In a statement, Tsem Rinpoche
said, “Ever since KSK opened a
permanent soup kitchen in the
heart of Kuala Lumpur in 2010,
members have doubled their
efforts to help the homeless and
urban poor. They have extended
services to the community by
aiding them to find jobs, shelter
and even having their lost
identification cards reissued. It
was not always easy, even now
there are still hurdles. However,
as people became aware of what
we were doing for the society,
more started supporting our
efforts both materially and by
volunteering. Feeding vulnerable
people and giving them the tools
to start over are important pillars
of our philosophy at KSK”.
Since its inception, over 511,000
people have been fed in five
states in Malaysia and in three
countries. Over 350 people
have been rehabilitated back
into society and more than 100
private organisations have been
key partners in delivering our
work. Today, KSK’s work also
encompasses a Food Bank and
free medical services for our
underprivileged clients.
These results have put into
context how important KSK’s work
has been and speak volumes of
the passion and consistent efforts
of the hardworking committee,
volunteers, staff, benefactors and
all other individuals who make our
work possible. These are the people
who tirelessly go out on the
streets, rain or shine, to bring food,
assistance, care and ultimately
hope to our fellow human beings.
We thank all the people
mentioned in making KSK a
society that truly cares for the
underprivileged.