Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak Yatim Malaysia (Peyatim) president Tengku Mahmud Mansor said the orphanages were at risk of ceasing operations due to the lack of funding.
“When we receive fewer donations, we will have to cut down on food and, worse, reduce the number of orphans that we can shelter.
“Although none of our orphanages have closed so far, we may have to consider that if things don’t improve,” he said.
Peyatim is a non-profit organisation which oversees about 50 welfare homes and associations for orphans.
Tengku Mahmud agreed that the challenging economic situation had resulted in fewer donations for charity.
“If we were to compare the situation with six years ago, there used to be encouraging aid from the public but now, it is hard to get donations, either from the public or private firms,” he told FMT.
Recently, FMT reported that an orphanage in the city, Rumah Titian Kaseh, was feeling the pinch as donations had dwindled due to the challenging economic conditions.
Its warden, Haslinda Dol Hamid, said in the past, it was easy to get what they needed and even more.
Tengku Mahmud empathised with Rumah Titian Kaseh’s plight and said orphanages located in the urban areas were worse off due to the higher cost of living, including rentals.
He said the price of food was getting more expensive and he was worried that the children would have to starve if there were insufficient funds.
He urged the public to continue donating generously to help sustain the orphanages.