Dignity For Children Foundation

Dignity for Children Foundation aims to empower underprivileged urban poor children to break the cycle of poverty through quality education, positively transforming their lives and the lives of the community around them. Dignity achieves this by establishing high-quality learning centres under one roof for the poor; implementing specialised learning environments to develop children academically and socially thus empowering them to become productive members of society.

Started more than 15 years ago in Sentul with only 20 students Dignity is now a learning centre with 1,000 poor and vulnerable children ranging from 2-17 years old. It provides quality education and care in a secure environment for pre-school to Form 5. Many of the children had gone through the school and passed with O-Level qualifications. Without Dignity’s education provisions these underprivileged children would not be attending school and will be open to and engaged with undesirable activities in the streets.

History of Dignity for Children Foundation

Our work began in 1998 in reaching out to the community as the New Covenant Community Church. Rev Elisha Satvinder and his wife Petrina soon discovered that many underprivileged families lived in the Sentul area. Deeply distressed by the ills which beset the poor they encountered they started to provide basic food, counselling and practical help for the needy. They also quickly realised that with the limited resources and manpower at their disposal this assistance will not have a lasting impact. Believing that quality education was the key to breaking the cycle of poverty their efforts soon focused on education. What began as basic tuition classes soon attracted a daily attendance of over 50 students.

In 2003 Harvest Centre Berhad was generously donated by Rev. Eu Hong Seng for the growing social work. Under its aegis, the first Montessori Preschool for the underprivileged opened its doors to 30 students in January 2004. In October 2008 Dignity for Children Foundation, a company with tax-exempt status was generously donated by Dato’ Stanley Isaacs and Peter Ling for the work of Harvest Centre. By 2010 all of Harvest Centre Bhd’s educational programmes were transferred to Dignity for Children Foundation.

Dignity’s Education Philosophy:

1. Child-directed learning. We create an environment where children are respected and their participation is highly valued.
2. Intrinsic motivation. We do not practise the use of rewards and punishments as they can hinder the natural path of learning and the development of intrinsic motivation.
3. Teachers are directors and supporters. Our teaching is directed at letting the child take a step forward to assume control over their own learning while the teacher takes a step back to act as coach and mentor.
4. A holistic learning environment. We create a holistic environment that awakens the children’s faculties and deepens their sense of responsibility towards being a good and responsible member of society.
5. Community of learners. We believe that effective learning takes place in a community.

Dignity’s Education Programmes:

1. Early Childhood a. Montessori Toddler Stimulation b. Montessori Preschool
2. Primary Education a. Lower Primary b. Upper Primary
3. Secondary Education (Lower and Upper Secondary)
4. Vocational Training