Banting, Malaysia –Youth volunteers from local universities and colleges joined students from a Tamil school in the province of Selangor, Malaysia in a service project to assist local families and to beautify the school. The “Giving Back” project, organized by Ajar-ajar Malaysia and UPF-Malaysia, was held on January 27, 2024 at the SJK school in Sungai Manggis, Banting, Selangor.
Dato Gopi Nathan Arunachalam, UPF ambassador for peace and president of Pertubuhan Pembangunan Dan Pendidikan Masyarakat Daerah Kuala Langat (PPPMDKL), Mr. Joachim Ng, vice president of UPF-Malaysia, and Ms. Lina Cheng, president of Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) Malaysia distributed food baskets to disadvantaged families in Banting, under the Circle of Light humanitarian aid program.
Ms. Ng Hwee Bee, organizing chairperson of the “Giving Back” Youth Service Project, and Mr. Muniyandy Rangaswamy, principal of SJK Sungai Manggis, attended the opening ceremony. In his opening remarks, Mr. Haridass Ramasamy, Kuala Langat parliamentary coordinator, commended the organizers for putting together this meaningful program, as a precious opportunity for young students to engage in community service and develop their leadership skills.
The youth volunteers worked in groups guided by school teachers and staff. They spent the morning beautifying the school premises by planting mulberry saplings, decorating used tires with paint, and repainting the school fence.
In the second part of the program, participants attended an inspiring sharing session with youth trainer Ms. Goh Ping In. She led the youth in group discussions to identify social issues faced by the local community and propose creative solutions to address these issues. The students brought up problems related to vandalism, cyberbullying and flash floods, among others.
"We wish to work with like-minded organizations and institutions to create more platforms for the young generation to develop good character, while discovering their talents and leadership qualities through service for others," said Mr. Lai Peng Keong, secretary-general of UPF-Malaysia.
College students, some of whom were graduates from the local school, described the social service program as fun and rewarding; some said they would encourage their friends to participate in volunteer activities.
In the closing ceremony, Kuala Langat Councilor Mr. Tan Wee King shared words of encouragement with the students, and presented certificates to all participants.
In addition to UPF, the project received support from the Parliamentary Service Center of Kuala Langat, ADUN Banting, WFWP-Malaysia, and PPPMDKL.
