30May2025

Making a Difference Building Dreams Creating Impact Saving Lives

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Contacts

HEAD OFFICE:                          548 Market Street,
San Francisco, CA 94104         USA

PROJECT OFFICE:                  Pearl Condo, Bldg A, 15 Fl., Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd.,      Yangon, Myanmar

hello@marykyapfoundation.org

US: +1 415 991 2030                 US: +1 415 799 8282                    MM: +95 9 977 66 7777

Tag: internationalorphanday

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COMMENTARIES

Most Vulnerable Children: Orphans

“Orphans are children who depend on their strength and ability to learn and succeed without the support of their mothers and fathers. They are the ones who have lost one or both parents to age, sickness, or violence or simply by just abandoning them.”

– Dr. John Palmer (Chairman of the Mary K. Yap Foundation)

Sadly, there is an increasing number of orphans. These orphaned children who live without proper care and guidance can result in suffering and the ultimate tragedy of death; the children that survive often do so in ways that demean and criminalize themselves and bring suffering to others.  We cannot just imagine how a child without proper care is being used in different personal and greedy matters, such as child labor bosses, terrorists, rebel armies with child soldiers, child traffickers, and even less than good-willed relatives who want a personal slave. 

The result is heartbreaking as some orphan children will die of starvation and issues related to malnutrition, die from preventable diseases, die at the hands of others, spend much of their life in jail, and some will harm others and negatively impact the world. 

As we commemorate International Orphan Day, we want to share a message that orphan children do not deserve to live a life of abandonment and neglect, especially a child who is so young, innocent, and pure. They deserve to be treated with love, care, and proper guidance as these orphaned children are the strongest people in the world by overcoming their history and facing the future with smiles. They are children who still have a bright future despite having no immediate family besides them upon growing up and ending up being homeless. 

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INDIVIDUAL SPOTLIGHT

Hope By Any Means Necessary

Malcolm X began his childhood with an unforgettable traumatic experience when his ministerial father, Earl Little, was brutally murdered by the Black Legion on September 28, 1931, known to many as a racist terrorist organization.  Malcolm was only six years old when he lost his father. However, the situation worsened for the fatherless Malcolm when his single mother, Louise Little, was diagnosed with a mental illness. The ailing mother of 7 children registered at the mental institution where she needed to stay for 26 years.  

The day-to-day survival was a massive struggle for the Little family to meet end needs.  Since no one was to look after them, Malcolm and his siblings lived in various foster families under the government assistance program.  Malcolm did not finish school in the seventh grade and was sent to a juvenile home in the nearly all-white community of Mason, Michigan.  A few years after living with foster parents, Ella Collins, Malcolm’s half-sister, gained custody of the 15-years old Malcolm and moved to Boston in 1941.

As a youngster growing up as an orphan under his half-sister’s care, Malcolm works on every possible opportunity that comes his way. As a result, there were several odd jobs on railroads, restaurants, bars, shoeshine stands, and jewelry stores.

He even ran with the courts, including breaking, entering, and possessing firearms. Yet, despite all these misguided fortunes in Malcolm’s life, he made the best of his jail time by reading and devouring books at the prison library. Malcolm’s desire to read and learn as much as possible during his time in jail was his way of making up for the education he missed when he dropped out of high school. 

Malcolm’s ability to inspire Nation of Islan (NOI) members and nonmembers earned him the first minister to various temples, including the highest appointment as the Chief Minister of Harlem’s Temple 7, appointed by Elijah Muhammad, the founder of NOI, in 1961. Malcolm believes in the empowerment of black people. He thought black people should create their power, structure, and wealth and dismissed the then-dominant integration and racial acceptance ideas.   Malcolm also believed strongly in the notion of self-defense as an alternative to nonviolent resistance.  He was extremely vocal on certain subjects that he held dearly. 

As we commemorate the auspices of International Orphan Day, the Foundation would like to pay tribute to Malcolm X.  He grew up as an orphan and later became one of the prolific civil leaders of our times.  Despite the distressed and turbulent environment endured by Malcolm X, he didn’t stop pursuing his agendas and sharing knowledge with everyone. He lived by his words and integrity, one of the three Mary K. Yap Foundation’s core pillars. He didn’t let complications stop him from accomplishing his personal goals and motives. With his courage and determination, he has achieved all these things.