KUALA LUMPUR — While some look forward to a new year, the promise of better times ahead for the urban poor in the city centre might be overshadowed by the looming closure of a local charity organisation.
Founded as a soup kitchen movement to protest the government’s proposed demolition of pre-war shophouses along the iconic Jalan Panggung, Dapur Jalanan Kuala Lumpur has fed and cared for underprivileged communities for over a decade now.
Having since expanded their services, Dapur Jalanan is now faced with a pressing manpower issue which could potentially see it halting its weekly food distribution session – a beacon of light for many marginalised individuals.
When met by Scoop at a recent session, Dapur Jalanan coordinator Nasrul Hisham, who has been with the organisation for the past eight years, said money woes were less of an issue compared to the lack of leadership succession for the non-governmental organisation (NGO).
“Based on our calculations, Dapur Jalanan might only be able to last until sometime next year before we close down (as) we don’t have enough coordinators. People only see us doing our weekly service on Sunday, but there’s a lot that has to be managed behind-the-scenes as well.
“If there is no one that can take over after our current coordinators are burnt-out, then Dapur Jalanan will die,” Nasrul told Scoop.
While it had considered paying coordinators, the team eventually decided against it to stay true to its charity-based principles, he added.
The role of coordinators is a more permanent aspect of the movement, compared to volunteers who often contribute their time irregularly.
At the moment, Nasrul said Dapur Jalanan rotates its coordinators among 30 to 40 individuals. There are several coordinator roles, each in charge of a different aspect of the operations, such as managing supply orders, recording and researching relevant data, as well as financial administration.
Having an additional 40 coordinators, he added, would ease Dapur Juliann’s operational tasks.
Due to their lack of workforce, Dapur Jalanan has had to cancel several food distribution sessions in recent weeks – a phenomenon which rarely happened during its heyday and in the period after the Covid-19 pandemic when there was a spike in people seeking to do charity work.
“We’re trying to get more youths to join us, but that is becoming increasingly difficult nowadays. Most youth volunteers are either students just trying to fulfil their university course requirements or those who are unable to seriously commit to Dapur Jalanan,” Nasrul lamented.
“We need people who can handle urban poor-related issues in a way that gives back to the community without further disparaging them, (but) such an understanding and connection usually takes time to establish.”
Highlighting how one of Dapur Jalanan’s main objectives is to raise awareness on marginalised communities by increasing the public’s interaction with them, he hopes other non-profit entities can emulate Dapur Jalanan’s approach – especially if the latter is forced to end its efforts.
“The reason why Dapur Jalanan distributes food and holds our other events by the side of the road is because we want people to see what we’re doing and who we’re doing it for,” he said.
“Hopefully, there will be other NGOs that can do what we’re doing – it’s not just about giving food, it’s also about raising awareness, which is something not many groups can do.”
Asked if Dapur Jalanan serves to fill in gaps in the public delivery system that may have overlooked and neglected certain segments of the poor, Nasrul said the organisation does not view itself as the government’s opponent.
It has supported government initiatives, such as setting up Rakyat Counters to disburse government aid for the communities that Dapur Jalanan assists.
However, Nasrul said there were still things the government could be doing more of to address the urban poor.
Nasrul noted that only a minority of those who turn to Dapur Jalanan are homeless, with the vast majority being working-class individuals who are not paid enough to sustain their lives, or their families, in Kuala Lumpur.
At its weekly Sunday soup kitchen, Dapur Jalanan also offers booths run by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) for the men, women and children who come for the meal to get ailments checked or to merely do a general health check-up.
The collaboration between MRCS and Dapur Jalanan, kickstarted during the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent Kuala Lumpur’s most vulnerable residents from slipping through the cracks during the global pandemic, has now become a staple available every other month.
During Scoop’s visit, a steady flow of individuals stopped by MRCS’s booths, which included a pharmacy dispensary and an oral health counter, set up within the vicinity of Dapur Jalanan’s food counter.
Over the course of around one and a half hours that day, nearly 90 economically disadvantaged people were fed, with some taking home packaged food while others were seen coming with other family members.
Each Sunday, Dapur Jalanan provides meals to an average of 80 urban poor individuals.
In addition to this, the NGO also ensures its efforts are strategic and executed in a way that will best benefit the community.
This includes implementing certain green measures to protect the environment, such as avoiding single-use plastics. Instead, the soup kitchen also sets up a station where volunteers will wash reusable cutleries and dishes. Leftover food scraps are collected and given to Universiti Malaya, which uses the materials as compost for organic fertiliser.
For those interested in participating in Dapur Jalanan’s weekly soup kitchen, where volunteers help with food prep work and assist in cooking meals at Bangsar Utama before travelling to Jalan Panggang, the organisation can be contacted via its social media pages. – January 1, 2025