PETALING JAYA, Jan 2 — “They did not choose how they were brought into this world, and they did not design their own DNA.”
This moving line from the documentary At Rainbow’s End 2 encompasses the unique challenges currently faced by stateless youths living with HIV in Malaysia.
The film depicts the heart-wrenching stories of seven children from Rumah Jaireh, a shelter home in Batu Arang, Selangor, and the struggles of growing up without a family while battling the stigma of living with HIV.
Orphaned by both parents and country, the kids aged between eight and 16 face numerous hurdles in every aspect of life, from applying to schools to opening a bank account.
“Most of them are orphans and they have no way of knowing who their parents were. They also don’t have any documents to prove that their parents were Malaysian citizens.
“To this day, most of them have yet to obtain their blue identification card (IC) and they’re basically stateless,” At Rainbow’s End 2 director and writer Mark Lee told Malay Mail.
Rumah Jaireh residents who are now in their teens face a worrying future of unemployment as the lack of an IC means employers cannot perform background checks on them and are more likely to reject their job applications.
Lee’s film also shows how the pervasive stigma surrounding HIV in Malaysia has slammed doors shut for Rumah Jaireh residents, many of whom were denied a basic education due to fears fuelled by misinformation on the disease.
“These kids were sent to a public school at first but the school eventually rejected them and the teachers neglected them.
“When the teachers heard that they have HIV, they wanted to transfer them to other schools because they saw HIV as a death sentence and a deadly disease that can be spread like an airborne virus.
“People still need proper education on how HIV is actually transmitted rather than rejecting groups of people who need our help,” said Lee.
By spotlighting the humanity of children living with HIV, Lee and At Rainbow’s End 2 producer Mandy Yap hopes to lend a helping hand to the youths of Rumah Jaireh and provide them with the means to obtain a formal education.
Ten per cent of the box office profits from the film will be channelled to the children’s home to provide a stepping stone for its occupants to walk towards a brighter future.
MyFM DJ Jack Lim and his wife chipped in RM20,000 to support Rumah Jaireh in conjunction with At Rainbow’s End 2’s screening at eCurve Damansara on December 26.
The movie is presented in collaboration with the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF).
It follows up Lee’s 2017 film At Rainbow’s End, which tells the story of a former drug user attempting to reconcile with his estranged family.
Malaysians can catch At Rainbow’s End 2 in cinemas nationwide starting today.
