Curtin Sarawak student volunteers carry out community outreach programme in the Philippines

Miri – 6 September 2016 – 19 student volunteers from Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak), representing the Humanitarian Affairs Curtin Sarawak (HACS) Student Chapter, were in the Philippines recently to carry out their ‘Painting Philippines Abroad Programme’.

With the aim of raising awareness of good nutrition, personal hygiene and the benefits of education while enriching the lives of the underprivileged in the capital city of Manila, the HACS volunteers collaborated with local non-profit organisations Mission Among the Unreached and the Virlanie AIME Home.

During the first three days, the HACS volunteers and Mission Among the Unreached workers collaborated to deliver educational talks on nutrition and personal hygiene to underprivileged children in Las Piñas, a suburb of Manila. The talks included activities to help the children develop their thinking and communication skills, as well as encourage them to interact with the facilitators.

In appreciation of the HACS volunteers’ efforts, Mission Among the Unreached Director Carlito Quila said their use of creative teaching methods was very effective and he hopes HACS will continue to engage communities across the region for a long time to come.

At the Virlanie Aime Home, which caters to children with special needs, the volunteers regaled the children with games, arts and crafts, and nursery rhymes. Clothes collected through a donation drive at Curtin Sarawak prior to the trip were handed over to the Virlanie Foundation, the parent organisation of the Virlanie AIME Home.

According to the HACS volunteers, the programme was made all the more memorable by the social and cultural exchanges they had with the local community.

Reflecting on the experience, event organiser Hazwani Jamaludin said, “We should never stop doing little things for others. Sometimes the little things we do are what touches people the most.”

Volunteer Thad Bess Chia remarked, “Instead of touching their hearts, I think they touched ours even more. I will never forget the love the kids I met shared with me.”

HACS President Dexter Stanley Guang added that seeing the eagerness of the children to learn despite their circumstances was very touching. “I am glad we were able to contribute in some small way to their futures. Their potential to succeed is far greater than they realise. All it takes is awareness and a bit of effort.”

The ‘Painting Philippines Abroad Programme’ was supported by Curtin Sarawak’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship Centre and the Malaysian Embassy in the Philippines.

HACS is part of Humanitarian Affairs, United Kingdom, a London-based social enterprise that initiates and supports humanitarian relief efforts and development programmes in countries that are poverty-stricken and disaster-prone.

Through such activities, HACS provides its members opportunities to engage in humanitarian service, strengthen their awareness of diverse cultures, and develop a lifelong commitment to helping others by participating in relief efforts to benefit impoverished communities.

Besides community outreach programmes at home in Sarawak, HACS organises programmes internationally. In addition to the Philippines, it has touched rural communities in Brunei, Cambodia and Indonesia.

HACS volunteer showing children proper way of washing hands.

One of the Las Piñas children showing what he’s learnt with the help of the volunteers.

HACS volunteers with children at Las Piñas.

Hazwani Jamaludin (left) and Dexter Stanley Guang (right) present tokens of appreciation to Virlanie Foundation’s Manon Lefevre.