Minister Opens Smarter Autism Shop
By Amin Hosni

Bandar Seri Begawan - The SMARTER Autism Shop was officially launched yesterday at Warisan Jaya, Bandar Seri Begawan.

On hand to officiate the opening was Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kema Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Communications cum Chairman of the Board of Directors Yayasan.

Also present were senior government officers and high commissioners. According to Malai Hj Abdullah bin Malai Hj Othman, President of Smarter Brunei, the shop was the result of contribution from Yayasan of $ 10,000 as seed money to start a business.

"This is a charity shop which sells donated items from the public and we hope this shop will assist us in financial stability in the form of a regular income," said Malai Hj Abdullah.

"We have started our business only 39 days ago and Allhamdullillah business has been good. But this does not mean that we do not need any further assistance. We are constantly developing and upgrading our present programme to keep up with our children who are growing up.

"The money we make now will enable us to at least get the service of psychologists and speech therapists on a locum basis to assist us in providing a quality service to our children and give psychological support to the families," he added.

The financial assistance from the shop will also come in handy once the Brunei Autism Centre for Adults opens soon. The money will be used to pay rent for the centre, set up the centre with proper equipment and resources, employ qualified therapists, start income-generating projects and pay salary to adults with autism.

The event proceeded with a tour of the shop by the minister and guests.

The Smarter Autism Shop is 'a charity shop selling mainly second-hand donated goods to raise funds for the Smarter Autistic Spectrum Disorder Centre at Sengkurong and Kuala Belait. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with