Challenges faced by Destiny for Children Association Sibu (DfC)
Stateless Children & Non-Malaysian Children
Statelessness has been a long-standing issue in Sarawak. Children may end up without confirmed nationality or official documentation for various reasons, including:
Being born in Sarawak without birth certificate or with birth registration not completed.
Being born to a Malaysian father and a non-Malaysian mother, where the mother is later uncontactable or cannot be located through reasonable efforts.
Limited awareness across generations about the importance of timely birth registration and obtaining identification documents.
Unclear, incomplete, or inconsistent documentation that affects the verification of birth or citizenship status.
Parents who are non-Malaysian, where the family’s immigration or residency status is uncertain or not fully documented.
Challenges in confirming parentage or establishing the child’s identity due to missing or insufficient records.
School Dropouts
There are many factors that may contribute to school dropouts in Sarawak. These may include:
Some parents may not fully understand the importance of regular school attendance.
Some children struggle to cope with the national curriculum and may lose confidence over time.
Some children experience bullying at school, which can lead them to avoid attending school.
Some families relocate frequently for work (e.g., construction-related jobs), causing children to change schools often and fall behind in their studies.
Some parents may prioritise their children working to support the family instead of attending school.
Some families face financial hardship and are unable to afford the cost of schooling.
About DfC
Destiny for Children Association Sibu (DfC) is a Non-Profit and Non-Government Organisation, headquartered in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. Since 2013, DfC has been running a school that specially caters towards stateless children, school drop-outs, and street children, to provide tailored education to these children who cannot otherwise attend government schools.
