Recently, Kechara received a very generous and heartfelt gift from a pair of young siblings, Kwan Wan Hong and Kwan Wan San. They gave us a funky Lumix camera using their own pocket money! We are delighted and thankful for their generous gift. We’ve decided to interview them to find out why did they made such a generous gift to us and they have shared their sincere thoughts with us.

Wan Hong

Hi! My name is Kwan Wan Hong, I am a regular 20 year old guy studying economics in University of Nottingham – Malaysia Campus.

I first got to know about Kechara through their Soup Kitchen. I read about their efforts to help the homeless in the newspapers. After graduating from college in 2011, I had an extended holiday period so I decided to get to know more about Kechara and their activities. At that point in time, I was completely oblivious that Kechara is a Buddhist organization. I thought that Kechara was just a soup kitchen! I was surprised when I read about the various activities that Kechara has from their website.

I dropped an email to Kechara which stated my intention to do be a volunteer. Soon, I was coming to Kechara frequently as I learned more about Dharma. I felt at ease and blended in well with the friendly Kechara members who welcomed me with open arms.

Seeing how happy I was in Kechara, my mom (Jill Yam) and sister (Kwan Wan San) also started coming with me to Kechara to help out. We volunteered our time during major public events and attended the weekly Setrap puja (prayer) sessions. It so nice to do good things together as a family!

One day, during a meeting in Kechara, my mom found out that Kechara needed a camera. My mom then told me about this while we were talking about Kechara.

Recalling how Kechara had nurtured me and introduced me to Dharma, I felt that this was a good way for me to show my appreciation to Kechara for their time, care and friendship and giving me the best gift I have ever received – the Dharma. It is with much pleasure that I am able to make this small contribution to Kechara, and I wish to contribute and do even more for Kechara as a way to repay the kindness that Kechara has shown to my family and me.

Wan San

I am Kwan Wan San, a 19 year-old college student currently pursuing a diploma in hospitality management at Taylors College. I am just a typical Malaysian Chinese girl who has a passion for dance, piano and violin, and who happens to have the opportunity to meet with the Dharma and learn more about it.

I don’t remember the exact time of when I joined Kechara. I was just tagging along with my mum, who was tagging along with my brother because she had to fetch him to Kechara for volunteer work. I guess everything started in July 2011 when Kechara Oasis was launched at Viva Home. My whole family was invited to the event and from there everything changed for me.

I still remember telling my mum that this ‘thing’ (Kechara) does not suit me at all and I don’t think I want to be involved in this! It’s funny how things changed within the past few months. Seeing the positive changes in my brother made me want to find out more about Kechara.

I love the way Tsem Rinpoche gives Dharma teachings. It’s very modern yet profound and definitely suitable for young people like me. The various departments of Kechara are also very appealing as I can do Dharma work in other ways such as making jewelry (at Kechara Saraswati Arts), giving out food to homeless (with Kechara Soup Kitchen) or even videography (for Kechara In Motion).

I got to know about the Kechara’s need for a camera through my mum, who heard about it at a meeting regarding Kechara’s Animal Liberation monthly event. Without any hesitation, I immediately thought of sponsoring a camera to Kechara as they have been so kind and generous to my whole family. It is a small token of appreciation from me to Kechara after all the things they have done for us. I understand that they needed a camera to snap photos of Kechara events or happenings to show to Tsem Rinpoche and the world. I felt that this is a good way for me to contribute something that will benefit so many people in the future.

Wan Hong and Wan San volunteer at KSK