“Than Hsiang Mitra Welfare Centre upholds the spirit of selflessness and the practice of formless alms-giving with the act of reaching out to the community to serve and ultimately, to give them a new embrace to life.”

In today’s era, everyone should enjoy equal rights and social welfare. However, in reality, many underprivileged groups on the edge of the city, live below the poverty line and struggling to make ends meet with no one to care for or support them. Besides living in poor state, these vulnerable groups also urgently in need of medical care, education, welfare, and elderly security to help them gain a foothold in society.

In 1993, The Venerable Master Wei Wu went on a Dharma tour to Kuala Lumpur, the Master's conviction; which is “to create a place for the young to learn, the strong and healthy to serve, the aged and sick to be cared for, and the departed to find their spiritual destination” deeply inspired a group of 9 committed disciples to help the poor, needy and underprivileged to live a healthy life. As a result, Than Hsiang Welfare Unit was founded.

In 1997, the establishment of Mitraline provided the public with a counselling hotline services; 7 years later, face-to-face counselling services were added on for people who were deeply troubled in life to share about their feelings and problems with the counselling volunteers. In 2007, Play Therapy services were added to provide an emotional outlet for children who are having difficulties at expressing their emotions, giving them psychological support and a therapeutic space to express themselves while playing with toys.

In the area of social education, since year 2000 Than Hsiang has been organizing various educational programs for the public such as: Pre-marital workshops, Journey to Intimacy workshop, I Like Summer Camp, public talks and Parenting Support Group, etc. In 2002, Than Hsiang Wan Ching Yuen was set up in Petaling Jaya to provide a comfortable home for the elderly to have a sense of belonging and to lead a high-quality life in their golden age.

As time passes by, the services provided by Than Hsiang Welfare Unit got on the track and managed to provide regular welfare assistance to communities and the underprivileged groups. In 2011, to reflect its expanded social responsibilities, Than Hsiang Welfare Unit was officially renamed as Than Hsiang Social Welfare Unit.

In 2020, the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. To control the outbreak, Malaysia implemented a Movement Control Order (MCO). During this period, everyone experienced stress, anxiety, depression and uncertainty, and their physical and mental health were greatly affected. Although the MCO brought the pandemic under control, it affected many industries and impacted on nation’s economy, and people's lives fell into difficulty. In response, Than Hsiang Social Welfare Unit mobilized its volunteers to deliver supplies to the affected groups during the pandemic, and when the pandemic subsided, to provide Mental Health Outreach services for those in need.

Than Hsiang Mitra Welfare Centre - KL always does its best to provide welfare assistance to those in need. In the future, it will continue to promote a series of elderly care activities to transform their mindset and to create an environment whereby they can continue to learn and live a fulfilling and wonderful life.