Small effort equals big impact

2009/09/26

COGNISANT of the importance of education for marginalised communities, INTI University College (INTI-UC)’s Adventure Club members recently donated computers and printers to an Orang Asli community in Ladang MCare, Kampar, Perak.

The student volunteers also spent time interacting with the children at the settlement. Games, songs and dances were the order of the day. In addition, they cleaned up the surroundings and helped remove debris and materials that had been used for previous fund-raising events but left abandoned. The students also immersed themselves in the community by helping out with daily chores such as chopping wood and feeding the livestock. “This visit is something very new to me as I have never been to an Orang Asli settlement before and by helping the residents with their chores, I learnt a great deal about how they live,” says INTI-UC Adventure Club member Arthur Manfred.

While exhausted at the end of the day, the volunteers were satisfied with the outcome of their visit, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Their biggest satisfaction of the entire experience was seeing the smiles on the children’s faces, who were clearly overwhelmed and happy about their special day with the volunteers. INTI-UC Student Affairs Office head and club adviser Lillian Tai praised the students who had gone the extra mile to do something meaningful for a community in need. INTI-UC managing director Boh Boon Chiang adds: “The students realised how a little time and effort can make a big impact on those who do not have all the trappings of life that urban children often take for granted. “They learned that the people in the settlement have a positive outlook on life despite their daily hardship.”

Feeding the livestock.