Hotel Officers Visit Centre To Get SMARTER Insight
By Kartika Rahman

Bandar Seri Begawan - Members of the Orchid Garden Hotel's management team yesterday made a familiarisation visit to the Society for the Management of Autism Related Issues in Training, Education, Resources (SMARTER) centre. On hand to welcome the visitors was the SMARTER president Malai Hj Abdullah bin Hj Malai Othman, who later briefed them on autism and on the centre's functions.

"In Brunei, one child is diagnosed with autism every month," said Malai Hj Abdullah, who also highlighted that there are currently 262 children in Brunei diagnosed with autism, but only 62 of them are SMARTER members.

He also emphasised that current procedures to address and manage autistic individuals were "scattered, uncoordinated and limited." Since the inception of SMARTER in September this year, two centres were established - in Kuala Belait and Sengkurong.

The SMARTER president also praised. Orchid Garden Hotel for being "the first organisation to fully recognise that we are a family organisation." This was in response to the hotel's invitation to sungkai for SMARTER members and their families on October 19.

SMARTER, which is made up of parents, family members and friends of autistic children, aims to complement and assist the government in looking after the special children while supporting the government's vision of enhancing the family institution.

But the SMARTER centres are currently having financial diffirculties, as maintenance costs for the two centres amount to over $14,000 a month; they have to raise the funds or face closure.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with