The Giving Hands

Bertie and Madelene Tye is the husband-and-wife team behind Eden Handicap Service Centre. Read about how they came to be the pillars supporting Eden Handicap:

One of my husband’s client is an ex-drug addict who went to Taiwan and later married a disabled Taiwanese wife. In Taiwan, the disabled has a lot of opportunities compared to Malaysia. Both husband and wife returned to Malaysia and invited me and my husband to join them. My husband was a cook in Genting Highlands and due to the calling, he gave his life to serve ex-drug addicts in a Christian drug rehabilitation in Kuala Lumpur and Penang for 9 years.

I, on the other hand, was working with Hewlett-Packard for 25 years as a Human Resource Assistant. I gave up my job in 1995 due to the same passion to reach out to the less fortunate in the community.

We initiated the work without any funds. We brought out our own finance and we sold our car. We struggled through the constraint in our finance but yet we managed to pull it through for the past 14 years.

After 4 years of serving in the centre, I left again to earn some pocket money as I have a family to take care of. In 1998, I applied for a job as a clerk in Adventist Hospital. Today, I am a full-time Medical Secretary in the Radiology Dept. I am only playing the supportive role in Eden Handicap such as providing backup support in raising funds, preparing the newsletters, handling public relations, administration without any allowances. I work 6 days a week and I spend my after-work hours and Saturdays in Eden Handicap. Practically, there is no rest for me at all but I find joy in doing it.

After we left Eden, another person took over and it’s sad, but he had led Eden Handicap into a wrong direction (more commercial way of managing the centre). Eden Handicap’s reputation was damaged in the eyes of the public.

In 2003, the Chairman of the Board (lawyer by profession) invited us back to manage the centre. We had to struggle in our decision because to sweep the dust under the carpet left by someone else is not an easy task.

But due to our passion and love for the disabled, we made the decision to return. To date, the name of Eden Handicap has been cleared, and many people with disabilities had been helped (without charges in aLL our services), children have been cared for, and many more. We are not blowing our own trumpets but just to let you know that to serve people, our efforts must be genuine and honest and transparent.

We will definite make Eden Handicap the place for people with disabilities to receive proper and quality trainings.

- Madelene Tye

Doesn’t it warm your heart to learn that there are people who were willing to sell their car for such a cause?? You can do your part to help them help people with disabilities too. Detailed instructions on how to sponsor me can be found here — How to sponsor Eden Handicap Service Centre? Check out Eden Handicap’s Donation Page on how to send your contributions.