In a world where acts of kindness and service reign supreme, Raaginee Shalesh shines brightly as a symbol of unwavering compassion and commitment. As the founder of IMC Training Centre, her journey began over three decades ago with a simple yet profound mission: to provide unwavering support and care for children with special needs. Today, IMC Training Centre boasts two thriving facilities, nurturing 150 unique individuals in Subang Jaya and Puchong. In an interview with Education+Tvet, Raaginee Shalesh shares her insights about caring for children with special needs and her ultimate dream for them.
Life is not about what we can get, it is about what we can give. We are not alone in this world and being of service to others especially those in need should always be the ultimate goal. The reward for every act of kindness is in the joy that it brings and all the lives that we helped change for the better. Raaginee Shalesh, the founder IMC Training Centre holds on very tightly to this principle of life. She first started the training centre for special needs in 2002 with just three students. It has since grown into two facilities located in Subang Jaya and Puchong with altogether 150 students.
“We are also known as Pusat Jagaan dan Latihan Insan Istimewa IMC but regardless of the language, our mission remains the same, that is to tackle all the issues faced by the mentally challenged and physically disabled. I have never been around the disabled before I joined this line of work. It has a lot to do with my upbringing because I was quite guarded as a child and never really ventured outside of my home and school routine. But I was very curious and love to get outside of my comfort zone. It was 33 years ago that I decided to work with children with special needs and learn everything that I needed to know about them. From then on, there was no turning back for me,” says Raaginee Shalesh.
The learning never stopped for Raaginee Shalesh who is currently completing her PhD. While all the knowledge and skills acquired are interesting, they are very challenging to implement in real life because every child is unique in their own way. But she never complained about it because she realised her own troubles and pain are nothing compared to the struggles and pain of parents with special needs children. “My heart told me this is where I belong. Whenever I feel like giving up, I ask myself, if I don’t do this job, who else is going to do it? I have been blessed with the support of my husband (Shalesh), three children (Kashmeera, Ravinesh and Veena Yasmine) and son-in-law (Saatchin Ram) whom I hope will continue my legacy. Kind-hearted souls like Dato’ Dino Rizal and Alice Ng have always been there with helping hands and resources for our centre.”
The training focus for students at IMC is in F&B. The students are taught all different aspects of it from cooking and nutritional values to preparation and servicing the customers. The restaurant on the ground floor of the centre is fully run by special needs students overseen by a supervisor. There is also a grocery and fresh produce section where the customers can make their purchase. Aside from that, the students are also introduced to sports like football, badminton, bowling and bocce. Raaginee Shalesh’s husband, Sunny Shalesh is responsible for the initial introduction of sports at the centre. Let’s Play Telematch Carnival is an annual sports event hosted by IMC in collaboration with big sponsors like Milo and Sports Unite. The event saw the participation of some 400 special needs individuals from across the country.
“What makes IMC different from other centres is our willingness to walk in the shoes of these special needs children and go the extra mile. I will never say no to anyone who comes to us with their problems. Instead, I will show up for them and come up with the best solution. We cater to all their specific needs; from singing and musical percussion lessons to batik painting and baking classes. In recent years, we also implemented the use of technology at IMC. We conducted online learning throughout the Covid-19 lockdown period and continue to use video calls as a method to monitor and manage students’ behaviour when they are not at the centre. Most of these students are surprisingly very good with social media. They are using it as a tool to promote the centre as well as our projects and events,” shares Raaginee Shalesh.
IMC Training Centre is what it is today through the hard work and unending devotion of Raaginee Shalesh as its founder. But it was never a smooth sailing journey and there were a lot of obstacles along the way. Funding has always been a challenge especially when it comes to maintenance such as repair work for the building and replacing damaged equipment. Human resources is another area of challenge. Finding locals who can commit to the long hours and demanding nature of working with the disabled is like finding a needle in a haystack. Raaginee Shalesh has no choice but to go through the long and expensive process of hiring foreign workers who are more suitable for the job. IMC always welcomes volunteers who are needed to assist in the classroom teaching and coming up with new ideas for special events.
“Volunteers are needed in helping to manage student’s behaviour. We need their energy to handle the students especially when they are throwing fits. In terms of hiring foreign workers, I wish the government can make the process easier for us. Same goes with registering the students for OKU benefits, it shouldn’t take too long and require so many documents for approval. Why can’t we have all the information in one database accessible via the identification card? Getting medical attention should be easier too if there is a special section only for them at local hospitals and clinics. I would also suggest a one-stop centre for people with special needs in every district where they can enjoy their privilege and benefits,” suggests Raaginee Shalesh.
Students at IMC have proven that they too can be part of everyday society and achieve more than what is expected of them as people with disabilities. Art is an area that has seen a lot of success with students who made a huge wave in the local and international art scene. As President of Special Olympics Putrajaya, Raaginee Shalesh and her husband have helped train their students for participation in regional and world special sports tournaments. The students have brought home gold medals several times for football, badminton, bowling and bocce. Aside from that, IMC encourages its students in entrepreneurship by providing resources for them to come up with products such as garlic chillies, murukku, cookies and even handicrafts that they can sell to gain extra income to support their medical bills and everyday necessities.
“We have come this far and materialise everything that used to be nothing more than just a dream. I’m not going to stop here. I want to carry this experience to the piece of land that I have bought in Seremban. It will be equipped with better facilities such as girls’ and boys’ hostels with separate bathrooms and houses that they can move into when they are all grown up. There will be a plantation that will provide them with fresh produce and allow them to generate income from it. They will have their own sports facilities too. I want them to be independent and prove that they can live without me because I can’t always be there for them. Putting my house on mortgage to purchase this land is the least scary part. I can’t stop thinking about how long it will take to make this dream come true and how much time that I have left,” says Raaginee Shalesh as tears gather in her eyes.
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