Father Paul Dass lifting the morale of patients at the Perch convalescence home in Batu Arang, which has now been forced to scale back operations. (Rosemary Chong pic) PETALING JAYA: For 27 years, ACTS - the spirit behind A Call to Serve - has been a steadfast lifeline for sick refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. But in January, a critical blow landed: the US government halted its annual funding of about RM2 million, crippling ACTS’s operations. Today, it stands alone, needing over RM 100,000 monthly to sustain two convalescence homes, a clinic, mobile teams and other overheads. Yet through every crisis, ACTS has never let its patients fall through the cracks. Its unrelenting commitment echoes the compassion of Father Paul Dass, whose quiet act of kindness in 1998 set in motion a calling that would touch thousands of lives. Dass was assistant parish priest at St Francis Xavier Church in Petaling Jaya when two refugee families arrived. One was an Iranian family, a husband, wife and three children, the littlest born with a hole in his heart. The other was Congolese, a husband and his expectant wife, fleeing violence. Dass opened the Jesuit house in nearby Section 5, providing shelter and healthcare, and when the Congolese woman gave birth to twins there, it ignited a lifelong mission. The rise of a volunteer family What began as pastoral concern blossomed into ACTS, thanks to a small group of lay volunteers led by Rosemary Chong. By tending to helpless families, they discovered a deeper calling: a duty to stand with the forgotten. (Left) A nurse attending to a girl’s wounds and (right) a bedridden patient in physiotherapy session with a physio assistant. (Rosemary Chong pic) Word spread. Doctors, nurses, students and professionals rallied, together forming a tight-knit group determined to heal body and spirit. By late 1998, through the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Bangkok, ACTS learned of three vast enclaves - the Acheh, Chin and Burmese Muslim communities - living at jungle fringes near Putrajaya. Undocumented and terrified of enforcement officers, many laboured under scorching sun or torrential rain, with illnesses left unattended. Responding to this silent crisis, local doctors and nurses mobilised into makeshift clinics, offering basic diagnosis, medicine and wound dressing. Recognition and growth The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) took notice, and in 2001 invited ACTS to incorporate as a Berhad, unlocking grant eligibility. UNHCR and JRS funds fuelled expansion across Peninsular Malaysia and, in 2004, ACTS was granted access to conduct mobile clinics in immigration detention centres. Between 2005 and 2007, ACTS opened Perch 1 and 2 in Batu Arang, sanctuaries for up to 40 seriously ill, bed-bound or wheelchair-dependent refugees and asylum seekers offering post-hospital psychosocial care. Patients waiting to see the doctor at Arrupe Clinic in Brickfields. (Rosemary Chong pic) In Brickfields, the Arrupe Clinic, with two full-time doctors and mental health counsellors, treated over 100 patients weekly. “Arrupe’s heartbeat was humanity united by suffering and hope,” said Chong, a director of ACTS. Lean years, renewed hope, and a sudden cut By 2007, UNHCR and JRS faced budget cuts; ACTS entered its leanest period. “Yet through the generosity of ordinary Malaysians, we survived,” said Dass. In 2010, a US State Department grant of about RM2 million annually restored stability. From 2010 through January 2024, ACTS could plan, hire full-time staff, stock medications and dream bigger. “It transformed our reach,” Dass reflected. Then came January 2025. In a unilateral policy shift, president Donald Trump’s administration terminated all foreign aid worldwide. Overnight, ACTS and hundreds of other NGOs lost their lifeline. The impact was swift and brutal. Perch homes continue to struggle to operate while the Arrupe Clinic has cut operations from five to three days weekly. Bed-bound patients now wait uncertainly for their next dose of medicine. ACTS’s crisis mirrors a worldwide push back. In Kenya, an HIV charity cut doses by 30 percent; in Jordan, Syrian mobile clinics now operate half as often. A senior aid worker recently warned of “the worst rollback of international humanitarian aid since the Cold War.” Children go unvaccinated, mothers miss prenatal care, elders lack pain relief. ACTS has been a safety net for those living on society’s margins. Refugees and asylum seekers often don’t know where to turn when illness strikes. “Imagine a father watching his child fade from a treatable fever because the clinic is closed,” Dass pleads. “That’s our new reality.” A call to care As ACTS braces for its darkest hour, Dass issues a rallying cry: “We have walked alongside these families through jungle paths, hospital corridors and lonely convalescence wards. “Now, they need you, our Malaysian family, to stand with them again.” Despite their own hardship, refugee communities have pooled meagre resources to keep ACTS’s projects alive. Rosemary Chong and Jean Monteiro (front left and right respectively) with Father Paul Dass at the mock cheque presentation by Armanee Terrace condominium residents at Perch convalescence home, Batu Arang, last Friday. (Rosemary Chong pic) Residents at the Armanee Terrace condominium in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, recently showed their solidarity, raising more than RM27,000 at a charity event. Jean Monteiro said about 100 people attended the occasion tagged, “Give hope, give help, rebuilding lives”. She teamed up with 10 fellow residents who had previously organised “Cook for Ukraine” in March 2022 during the peak of the Russia-Ukraine war. In March 2023, they ran “Help Syria” for survivors of that country’s earthquake How you can help Donate: Every ringgit helps buy medicine, cover hospital fees and keep the clinic open. Host a fundraiser: Companies and community groups can organise donation drives. Volunteer your skills: Medical professionals, translators, event planners, counsellors, and logistics coordinators are among those who can all provide vital support. Spread the word: Share ACTS’s story on social media and in your circles. Together, we can ensure lifesaving care doesn’t face life-threatening delays by making a donation to: Kumpulan A.C.T.S Berhad, Maybank Account: 514169334485, Swift Code MBBEMYKL, Reference: ACTS Fundraiser. Contact Rosemary Chong for further information at 012 398 2358. “A single ringgit becomes a dose of medicine; a single donation becomes a stitched wound, a comforted soul, a child’s survival.” – Father Paul Dass.