KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Greenhouses are far more than just small huts where vegetables are grown.
Enclosed to protect greenery from weather, pests and pollution, greenhouses allow vegetables and fruits to grow to be safer, healthier and more nutritious.
They can minimise waste to the environment, increase the growth of crops and bring produce all year round.
Though they may seem unassuming, they can also provide learning opportunities to the public and persons with disabilities (PwDs).
Those with learning disabilities can learn to grow produce within these greenhouses and gain more vocational skills to enter the workforce.
This is the mission of the Beautiful Gate Foundation Puchong’s greenhouse, which was launched this morning in conjunction with the centre’s 10th anniversary.
The foundation aims to use the greenhouse to teach students with disabilities to grow Japanese cucumber, rock melon, choy sum and other produce.
Founded in 1993, Beautiful Gate Foundation provides basic training in education courses, vocational skills and outdoor activities to students with learning disabilities.
Today it has built eight training centres across Malaysia with its Puchong centre (established in 2013) being the most recent.
Beautiful Gate Foundation Acting Executive Director Ivy Pua shared with Malay Mail the bigger purpose of their new greenhouse and the challenges of sustaining the Puchong centre for 10 years.
“The public has always had a negative view of people like us, but we want to change that image,” said Pua, who is physically disabled.
“Our goal is to train our students to learn skills that will help them to find work and become independent, fully capable members of society.”
“In the whole of Malaysia, we have helped over 2000 disabled people find work. In Puchong, we have had more than 50 people leave our training centre successfully.”
Pua explained that the greenhouse will serve as means for their students to learn ‘mixed’ skills to grow and sell produce, it also provides a form of ‘healing and therapy’.
She added that the students will also be able to earn an allowance from the crops they sell.
With a grant of RM50,000 from longtime partner and sponsor CIMB Foundation, the hydroponic greenhouse project was supposed to start in 2021 but was delayed due to the pandemic lockdowns.
The two greenhouse units were built and finished in October 2021.
“The biggest challenges for us over the last 10 years up till the present is getting enough funding, resources and volunteers,” Pua admitted.
“It’s hard to find full-time staff who are able to help teach disabled students, particularly those with learning disabilities.”
Pua also hoped that more corporate businesses would be able to support their cause and provide job opportunities to their students.
She also shared the foundation’s plans to continue organising public events, one being their upcoming 1 Heart 1 Mission Carnival to take place in Paradigm Mall from August 12 to 13.
For more information on Beautiful Gate Foundation and how to support its cause, visit https://beautifulgate.org.my/
