Friends of the homeless and poor

The Lighthouse Centre is a drop-in centre providing hot meals, a place to bath, wash clothes and rest for the homeless and poor people in Penang. The building is located in Georgetown, Penang and run by the Penang Office for Human Development, a social arm of the Catholic church.

Approximately 150 people who live on the streets head over to the Lighthouse for their dinner everyday.

Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Golden Sands Resort and Traders Hotel hosted a Christmas High Tea for the clients (a term used for the homeless people) on 16 December, 2009.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts provide meals once a month to the clients at Lighthouse as part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy. It is truly a 5-star treat for the clients.

Happiness, joy and friendship are written on the faces of the homeless and poor people when they take part in decorating the huge Christmas tree donated by the three hotels under the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, enjoyed the scrumptious foods and dance to the live band. It is a truly a heartwarming event witnessed by citizen journalist Chan Lilian.

Citizen journalists Chan Lilian, Jimmy Leow and some of the Penang batch have followed the lives of people sleeping on the street since March 2009. Their first video is http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17196/homeless-in-penang.html. A few of the homeless people have transformed their lives and one of them is now working in a bakery and also providing encouragement and support to the other homeless people. These social issues will continue to be the focus of the citizen journalists trained by Malaysikini and ICFJ.

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