KAJANG, 29 April 2018 – The Islamic Relief Humanitarian Programme 2018 participated by volunteers from Islamic Relief Canada (IR Canada) and Islamic Relief Netherland (IR Netherland) for the second phase has come to an end.

 

This programme which applied several interactive approaches showed a positive impact to the Rohingya students as they got to communicate with the volunteers.

 

“Previously, I have low confidence to communicate in English, but after joining activities with IR Canada and Netherland volunteers for more than 2 weeks, I feel more confident to speak and I want to improve my language to be better,” said Juwaidiyah Hanis, Rohingya Intellectual Skills & Excellence (RISE) student.

 

In addition, she hopes the delegation could stay with them for a longer period so that RISE students could gain more knowledge from them.

 

Meanwhile, Juwaidiyah who is also a part-time teacher at Rohingya Education Garden (REG) through the assistance of IRM said, she will use the learning methods implemented by volunteers while teaching children at REG in the near future.

 

REG is a programme under the Heritage of Knowledge project by Providing Education to Rohingya Refugee (HOPE) in Puchong, Selangor.

 

Feedbacks from the students who have been following the activities during the programme also shows passion and excitement to learn new things every day.

 

It is hoped that such educational programs will continue to benefit the Rohingya Community for their survival.

Tebedu, 7 Apr 2018 – 30 beneficiaries under Community Development Project run by Islamic Relief Malaysia (IRM) are given exposures on health concerns in a monthly meeting held at Surau Darul Ihsan Jaya.

 

According to a Medical Officer of Klinik Kesihatan Tebedu, Dr. Norshamira Mohd Radzi, the talk regarding Tuberculosis (TB) is held as a way to educate them on the significance of hygiene and cleanliness.

 

When asked about the impact of the talk, He stressed that it is a social responsibility that should be continuously implemented in the future.

 

“A lot of people have little knowledge about health concerns especially the elderlies. With such activity, I believe it’s certainly a good way to educate and spread awareness to them,” she said.

 

She also added, “There’s a significance between health clinics and hospitals. Clinics are in-charge to prevent diseases while hospital are more towards treating the patients.”

 

“Most people who seek for treatments at Klinik Kesihatan Tebedu only experience common diseases such as fever, cough, and cold. This indicates that their health condition is still fine,” she confirmed.

 

The monthly meeting conducted by IRM is also an approach to gather all beneficiaries in Tebedu coming from different neighbourhoods such as Kampung Insan Jaya, Kampung Darul Falah, and Kampung Darul Iman.

 

Apart from health awareness talk, the meeting is also filled with Islamic lectures managed by Ustaz Mahidi from Harakah Islamiah (HIKMAH) Sarawak. The slot is prepared to strengthen their understanding towards Islam while also grow their faith among the beneficiaries as most of them are new families of Islam through public speaking activities.

 

Community Development Project is an initiative by IRM to develop a community through a multitude of sectors namely sustainability, health, education and shelters, as well as to improve the socio-economic level in a community.

A Prime Minister will not be in the office without a teacher’s guidance. An engineer will not be as skilful as he is today without the expertise learned at university. A child will not be as successful as he is today without the parents’ direction. In all such cases, education seems to be the most powerful weapon which is capable to transform the world alongside the existence of various expertise in an effort to develop a country. In general, education is the key to success and the determining factor for every individual to achieve something.

 

As time passes by, it has been a common phenomenon for children to attend school as early as six years old. This can be seen through the responsibility of parents who are very concerned about education for their children, so the future of their kids can be more promising. But the glaring question is, do we think education is really universal to shape the future of a child?

 

Across the ocean, education can seem to be very expensive for some clusters of human as they could not afford to provide their children with education. What’s more to say when the increasing number of refugees are not able attend the school like the other kids around as they have no certified documents. Such situation has raised the question, “Can everyone get proper education?”

 

Islamic Relief Malaysia (IRM) has recently welcomed a special visit by a group of volunteers from Islamic Relief Canada (IR Canada). It is as if the arrangement has been prescribed by One and Only Allah SWT to which the presence of IRC in Malaysia is to foster humanity cooperation. The visit will focally emphasise education as the main driving force in cultivating high spirit to explore the world of education consisting of many different branches.

 

As at September 2017, the number of registered Rohingyan refugees has scored up to a whopping 62,153 and most of them have settled in different states. However, their presence in the country has not been favoured by many because they are labelled as dirty, having bad attitude, and the language which seems to be alien for most Malaysians. On top of that, the community of Rohingya in Malaysia is growing and it poses such difficult situation for their children as they have no legal documents to have a seat at school.

 

The sad part is that, these unfortunate people have to work without a permit to cope with the daily needs. On a side note, if a family has a daughter whose age is around 15, they will let go of their daughter to have a new life with a husband. Now, is this situation appropriate for a very young lady to get married and give up education to change the future of her parents?

 

In cooperation with IR Canada, IRM brought the volunteers to one of the projects run by IRM, Heritage of Knowledge by Providing Education to the Rohingyan Refugees (HOPE) which specially developed for Rohingyan community. HOPE is located in Puchong. Unlike the situation in most government schools, HOPE is insufficient of school equipment and teachers to educate a total number of 37 students.

 

So, IR Canada has taken this opportunity to apply a new set of approaches in cultivating the interests of student to learn so that they will be able to value education. True, formal education is indispensable, but the joy while learning should be another priority that runs parallel as children in the 21^st century are more advanced and that they can get quickly bored with conventional method of learning.

 

Initially, the module provided by IR Canada seemed to be difficult for the all children to comprehend. However, it is noted that their response rate is faster, exceeding the usual expectation. Almost every student is capable and could perform what is taught through several modules such as Bingo Maths, Tale n Time, and Science Bridge. For example, during Bingo Maths session, the approach used is a simple game in answering questions which has promptly attracted them to appreciate numbers.

 

Apart from that, this education-themed programme has concurrently foster a friendlier relationship between the volunteers, rohingyan students and IRM representatives. Language factor is the main challenge for both groups as they do not practice the same communication tool. Besides, students are not well-equipped with English to understand the message delivered by the volunteers. But yet, it is not an obstacle for them to keep learning as hand gestures and simple word usage are enough to work together.

 

For example, Science Bridge activity requires a high level of creativity and deep understanding to ensure the bridge built using straws is solid enough to accommodate the weight of a load. Through this activity, students and volunteers communicate in a more effective way so that every message and instruction are delivered decently.

 

If reviewed, every young child has a high level of understanding and creativity as they are in the phase of growth to develop their critical thinking skill, and of course, that includes Rohingyan children. However, the children have no physical access to formal education in the absence of certified documents to make them have a seat at school.

 

Holistically, the programme is actually a great exposure for IRC volunteers as they have been able to track down the hardships faced by Rohingyan refugees especially the kids in Malaysia. Although the children are further segregated from the ordinary societies, the desire to learn is still strong in the heart. But what are their fate in the next decade?

Kajang, 24 Apr 2018 – Volunteers for Islamic Relief Canada (IR Canada) alongside students at Rohingya Intellectual, Skills, & Excellence (RISE) proves that language is not a barrier in an effort to gain new knowledge.

 

Even though the session with the kids is conducted using English as a communication tool, the kids are still persistent to explore new things.

 

One of the volunteers, Fatima Mulla, believes that these kids are actually able to comprehend every message delivered if the method used is simple for them to understand.

 

She also said, “The kids need an interactive learning method that is fun to make them feel interested in studies.”

 

Besides, the interaction with Rohingyan children is also another proactive move in cultivating self-development between volunteers and beneficiaries.

 

For information, the second phase of this humanitarian programme will continue until 29^th of April.

Kajang, 20 Apr 2018 – The rapport fostered between Islamic Relief Malaysia (IRM) and volunteers for Islamic Relief Canada (IRC) will never fade although the first phase of this humanitarian programme has come to an end.

 

IRM Chief Executive Officer, Zairulshahfuddin Zainal Abidin hopes that the sacrifice in any humanitarian work can continuously strengthen the relationship between these two entities.

 

“I hope such program can be a good example to strengthen our relationship between Islamic Relief Malaysia and Islamic Relief Canada,” he said in his speech.

 

Zairulshahfuddin also welcomes the coming of all volunteers in the future in an effort to reach the primary mission and vision of IRM.

 

Besides, one of the volunteers, Safia Khan expressed her gratefulness throughout the programme as it has exposed her to learn more about humanitarian missions managed by IRM.

 

“I feel thankful because IRM has made me feel closer to the children here and I hope the relationship never ends,” she said.

 

For information, volunteers are given a token of appreciation at the end of the event.

 

By: News, Media and Publication, Communication & Campaign.