A Heart for the Homeless
On Christmas Eve in 2010, Dr Catherine Thong and a teenager went to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to distribute goodies to the homeless. The first person they met was Albert.
“We spent the whole morning sitting on the streets listening to him. It made me realise that the homeless are normal people like me, except that I’m blessed to have a good environment and people who supported me.”
Since then, Dr Thong made it a weekly practice to distribute food to the homeless, getting closer to those often overlooked by society.
After several years, she decided to conduct a research on them for her PhD(Arts) here at OUM. Her thesis focused on bringing positive change to their lives in alignment with the teachings of her faith.
She implemented a three-phase social support intervention to reintroduce the concept of normalcy into their lives, offering them individual guidance, followed by small group interventions, and then community support.
The journey was far from smooth. Many participants had a history of violence, presenting challenges that would deter most. Dr Thong, however, held steadfast to her goal. This brought about impressive results – an elderly man with a drinking problem reconciled with his wife and daughter while a woman reunited with the son who had run away 8 years earlier due to her abusive behaviour. There were many other instances where the homeless were able to improve their lives, thanks to Dr Thong’s research.
Dr Thong, 47, chose to do her PhD at OUM in 2019 as she needed the flexibility it offered. An Assistant Vice President-Finance & Accounting for a major insurance company in, Kuala Lumpur, and a mother of five children, she had her hands full.
“OUM’s flexible schedule helped me a lot as I could study after completing all my office work and house chores and my children had gone to bed. I didn’t need to ‘abandon’ my family to travel elsewhere to attend classes. So, I didn’t feel like a bad wife or mom, neglecting my family.”
Her 4.5-year PhD journey was not without challenges, but she persevered. “My supervisor, Dr Wong Huey Siew, who is visually impaired, was my greatest inspiration. When the thesis became too complicated, OUM also assigned a mentor to guide me.”
Dr Thong urges others to consider OUM. “It has the most selfless motto I have ever seen – ‘University for All’. It offers a chance to achieve dreams that many people may not get in their entire life. At my graduation last October, I was brought to tears when I saw a 90-year-old uncle go onstage to receive his degree. I felt so proud I could tell the world, “This is MY university and I’m proud to be its graduate!”
