Growing stronger through art
Steady focus: Ahmad (left) is keen on picking up new painting techniques, having already spent hours on the craft daily. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Tan Mei Cheng sat patiently, painstakingly pulling cotton and making them into small balls.
Near her, Ahmad Osman Lee, was carefully painting clay ornaments.
It looked like tedious work but Tan, 39, and 23-year-old Ahmad – both workers at the Penang Cerebral Palsy (Spastic) Children's Association – have a keen eye for detail.
They spend hours every day, alternating between making artwork, painting clay ornaments and wooden boxes or turning recycled cotton into stuffing for cushions and patchwork blankets.
Tan said she spends most of her days tearing apart cotton to make it suitable for cushions and blankets.
'It's nice, but the work can get boring. I like it when I switch to painting and colouring now and then.
'I'm looking forward to drawing and colouring next. I want to try drawing a house or a hospital,' she said at the association yesterday.
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong disorder that affects movement, muscle tone and posture, caused by damage to the developing brain, often before or during birth.
It varies widely in severity; some people may walk with slight difficulty while others require full-time care.
Tan said she especially enjoys selling their creations.
'Whenever we have a booth at fairs or events, I enjoy doing the sales,' she said.
Ahmad said he likes picking up new painting techniques.
He is not keen on being a salesman, though.
'I enjoy the work itself and prefer to remain behind the scenes while others take care of the sales,' he said.
The association's administrator T. Amutha said there are 16 workers in the workshop.
'They're all former students who have aged out of our programme.
'Since they can't find jobs outside, they work here and receive a monthly salary.
'We teach them to make handmade items, mostly using recycled materials like cloth and cotton,' she said.
Amutha said working with their hands helps those with cerebral palsy. It gets their hands and brains working at the same time, which stimulates them.
'Group work also improves communication skills.
'One of them here has low vision, so the others help guide him when the cotton flies off.'
Having a job also gives them purpose.
'They come in every weekday, from morning till noon or 3.30pm,' Amutha said.
She said besides the vocational trainees, the association currently has 124 students.
Penang Adventist Hospital visited the association yesterday, bringing rations and art supplies as part of its 'Love Earth' corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign.
Acrylic paints, dried flowers, clay, cloth, scissors, thread, decorative boxes and rations such as milk, sugar, oil and rice were brought for the association, which operates solely on donations.
The hospital's chief executive officer Albin Phua said they had held a month-long 'Love Earth' CSR campaign, with staff donating recyclable items such as paper, plastic and aluminium, which were later sold to raise funds.
'In just one month, we raised RM2,082.24 to buy arts and crafts supplies and daily essentials for the association,' he said.
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