STREET children have made the dark, twisted alleyways of Kuala Lumpur their playground, where they roam under the harsh judgement of society.

Tagged as “troubled youths”, they are often caught up in prostitution, gambling, or drug addiction.

But for volunteer worker Nur Hanun Muhammad (pic), 26, who have been working with the street people of Chow Kit, perception is often far from the truth.

“These aren’t illegitimate, unwanted or homeless children. Their parents rent rooms, paying RM25 a day.

“They have homes, even if it’s only a rented room, and the children of Chow Kit now go to school as well,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Alleyway charity

The school Hanun is referring to may not be a conventional one, but it is just as effective in bringing a semblance of order and hope for these children.

However, the children of Chow Kit often find themselves growing up in a vicious cycle of poverty and crime.

This had prompted a group of activists led by Siti Rahayu Baharin to set up “Chow Kit Street Books” in August 2014 to give street children children access to books via mobile libraries set up in the area.

However, the concept soon grew to cover education, and now Chow Kit Street Books is known for its weekly tuition classes.

“The founder’s dream was to change the living environment of the children of Chow Kit. She wanted the children to be able to break free from the negative elements that would otherwise entrap them,” said Hanun, who was an early volunteer with Chow Kit Street Books.

The classes are held on mats placed along the corridors at the alleyways of Alka Ria every Sunday night. There are as many as 50 to 70 students, with the youngest being five, while the oldest is 15.

Hanun said many of the students’ mothers – themselves uneducated but eager to learn – also join in the classes and help out by arranging books and cleaning up at the end of the sessions.

Grades not a measure of success

Another volunteer teacher Mohd Adli Abu Hanifah (pic), 31, said their success cannot be measured by the same academic standards as children growing up in normal and healthy environments.

He said that Chow Kit Street Books does not aim to get their students to achieve high grades, but rather to ensure that the children remain in school and complete their Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia (SPM) examinations.

Many of the children that come to them are illiterate.

“We know that many of them are slow at learning, but academic excellence is not our main goal and not a yardstick for success.

“If they manage to complete their Form 5, coming from a place where they cannot even read, this is, to us, a success,” said the teacher from a school located in the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).

Hanun said that while teaching the children sometimes required extra patience, many of them were polite and respectful. She also said that many of the children were very creative and showed amazing artistic talents.

She said the organisation also accepts immigrant students, adding that they currently have seven foreign students.

“These seven children were not accepted into government schools.

“We tried to get them accepted into an international Indonesian school because there are people willing to sponsor them. But the school was not willing.”

Hanun said the organisation now needs a proper building as it hopes to open up a school in the near future.

“We believe education is for everyone.” – June 25, 2017.