Royal Go-Getter

- Alexandra Wong

A common perception about the homeless is that feeding them only encourages them to stay on the streets. What Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah learned one Saturday night two years ago was the opposite.

On her first walk distributing food packs with the team from Kechara Soup Kitchen, she learned that soup kitchens do a lot more than give out free food. She shares, “KSK has a database of those living in the streets – who are referred to affectionately as their ‘clients’ – and their issues; there is even a medical unit to address their clients’ issues and help them look for employment. The long-term goal is to get them off the street.”

Being up close and personal with the homeless also allowed her to see into their circumstances beyond stereotypes that often colour the issue. “There are a variety of reasons why people live on the streets. It’s not always because of personal vice like drugs or gambling. There are old people who were kicked out by their families, women who fled domestic violence, business owners who went bankrupt. They all have their own story.”

Making A Change