“Guess what, guess what? I finished a book!” I exclaim excitedly to my bestie, with as much pride and sense of achievement as someone who’d just finished a marathon. Her blank expression compels me to add: “…And it didn’t take me one year!” which invites an incredulous look with a dose of eye-rolling.
“It was sooo good!” I continue blabbing about the gripping historical fiction which for the past two months had plunged me into the dramatic world of the English monarchy during medieval times, spinning suspenseful tales about ambition and revenge. The chatter ensues between the both of us about the characters in the book, the other titles in the series, the rich history that the stories are based on, the author, which all lead me to my main quest – to get hold of another book in that series.
I know that I’m not alone in experiencing that feeling of elation which tends to follow a memorable read; you know, one of those page-turners that you can’t put down even while eating and the sort that makes you temporarily forget about gadgets and friends.
“There were some books that I read which I can’t even put into words,” shares the attractive young lady across the table whose fond memories of reading helped trigger a new community initiative that she’s spearheading. “They were so amazing and I felt so different after reading it that I told myself this is something that I want other people to feel too. When you read a good book, you know how it makes you feel, like there’s nothing quite like it.”
No one can deny the benefits of reading and its particular importance to children, but access to books is often sadly lacking, especially among the underprivileged and marginalised. With the Book Effect project, an initiative by non-profit organisation Friends to Mankind, Apshy Vimal hopes to address that issue and re-ignite the spirit of reading by providing books in places where kids don’t commonly have access, such as orphanages.
“So many children want to read but they just don’t have the books,” remarks the 23-year-old Project Lead, speaking to me in the corner of a café with the confidence of someone who has been involved in this type of work for a long time.
Since graduating from Fordham University in New York with majors in International Humanitarian Affairs and Sociology, Apshy has been working full-time at Friends to Mankind, an international organisation that helps communities in need. Aside from Project Lead, she’s also one of its Youth Ambassadors, along with her sister Aishy, a role they’ve both held for eight years.
DEVELOPING THE PROJECT
As Apshy’s current labour of love, the Book Effect is a year-long project channelling a topic close to her heart with the aim of raising 10,000 books to build libraries for underserved children at places like orphanages, refugee centres, drug rehabilitation centres, Orang Asli community centres and juvenile detention centres among others. They’re encouraging people to donate books and have enlisted the help of various neighbourhood nooks and high traffic public spaces to host book collection bins for easy drop-off.
Three to four months were spent on planning everything prior to the launch last month which was officiated by YAM Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz of Negeri Sembilan. The hard work has only just begun. The affable KL-born lass elaborates: “Now that Book Effect is launched, things are getting more intense. We’re meeting with a lot of organisations, we’re checking out different homes and things like that. We also meet different corporates who have come on board and try to plan how this year is going to look because it does take a lot of pre-planning for a year-long project like this. I try to have my hand in everything a little bit. I like to keep busy!”
Initially, the team was uncertain about how people would respond and if the target could be achieved – until they discovered that they’d received 5,000 books, meeting half of the target even before the official launch! No doubt they’ll increase the target in due course.
While the book collection aspect is going well, the team has also been creating libraries, the latest one being in a children’s home in Kota Damansara. Apshy recalls that the home was lacking in things that most of us take for granted, such as toys and bed frames, but she expressed hope for the kids, believing them to be well looked after.
“When we give these books, it’s not just about reading a story. It’s also about empowering a child to be able to read, speak English, be confident, perhaps read a story in front of their fellow siblings in their home,” she asserts, yet acknowledging that one of the project’s biggest challenges is getting the kids to read.
However, the team has plans to tackle this. One of the efforts involves collaborating with Brickfields Asia College which will provide volunteers from the university to visit the homes and read to the children every week. The idea is also to create a system whereby those kids who are old enough to apply for tertiary education, can take over and read to their own community, with the goal of completing a set number of sessions, representing a criteria for scholarship application.
Later stages of the project will see the inclusion of activities such as book clubs, reading circles and joint events. Apshy continues: “With this project we’re looking into the sustainability of it. We’re not just going to put the books and leave them there. We’re gonna make sure that they’re used, that our project is not a one-off, and that it’s sustainable.”
PARENTAL EFFECT
This ardent reader owes her habit to her bookworm mother who cultivated a love for books in her children since they were little. The elder of two girls recalls: “Growing up, I’d read all the time. My mum would literally make us read for two hours every single day. In my house, we have so many books and they belong to my mum. She’d read a book and tell us, “You won’t believe it, there’s this story….!” Okay, okay, we want to read it too! So she instilled that habit in us from a very young age.”
When I ask about her favourite books, an almost palpable enthusiasm lights up her face and I can imagine that was how her mother appeared when waxing lyrical to them about great reads as well. Apshy divulges that she’s a fan of fiction, with an inclination towards stories featuring strong female characters. One of her favourite authors is Margaret Atwood.
While her passion for books and reading was shaped by her mother, it was her father, meanwhile who influenced her pathway into the philanthropic world. With pride, she recounts how despite growing up in a fishing village, he sought a future in Kuala Lumpur, arriving as a poor teenager and worked his way upwards to eventually become a businessman.
Her inspiring father, Dhyan Vimal, went on to become the founder of Friends to Mankind, the same organisation where she now works, helping to realise its many visions of transformation in areas ranging from the arts, health and environment, to peace, youth and education.
Describing him as a very benevolent man who now gives talks around the world, his equally altruistic daughter elaborates: “He’d always encourage us to help people; he believed that’s why we’re here on Earth. If you can, you should help people. That’s always stuck with me and that’s why this work has called out to me; that’s why I want to do NGO work.”
EMPOWERED TEENS
Although only in her early 20s, Apshy’s experience with charitable causes and humanitarian work began as far back as eight years ago. While carrying out research for a school assignment, her sister stumbled upon a video highlighting the plight of adolescent girls in poverty who are compelled to become wives as soon as they begin menstruation, which effectively disrupts their education.
“Before your period, you’re just a kid. But once you get it, you’re a woman and you get married, you become a wife right away. We were like “oh my God these girls are our age or younger and our biggest problem is what… getting to school on time?” It’s nothing. So we showed our friends and said we have to do something. We knew we couldn’t do much, we’re teenagers in Malaysia. But we knew how to dance so let’s dance.”
Being a diligent dance student and armed with passion (“It was my life”), Apshy and her group choreographed flash mobs, performing them in three different locations, and in the process, they succeeded in increasing awareness about child marriage, securing collaborations, attracting media attention and ultimately, raising RM10,000 for Girl Effect, a non-profit organisation that seeks to empower girls.
Two years later, the compassionate Vimal sisters fearlessly took on a bigger project, organising a charity dance concert with an ambitious fundraising target. Supported by Friends to Mankind, the Dance Effect Concert ended up collecting over RM100,000 for several charities.
Optimism lacing her tone, Apshy reminisces about that whirlwind yet enjoyable period before reflecting: “These experiences showed me that you can do something, even if you’re just a teenager in Malaysia. No matter where you are, you can do something.”
For the Book Effect project, the team is fortunate to have received volunteer help from over 40 individuals and have so far collaborated with partners such as Prince Court Medical Centre, GE, Brickfields Asia College, Easyspad, GSC and Starbucks. Hopefully, the project attracts more interested parties who are keen to explore innovative ways to bring books back into the hearts and minds of children.
For more information, check out: www.friendstomankind.org
Email: info@friendstomankind.org
RECOMMENDED READS
Five recommended reads by Apshy Vimal for older teens and young adults:
1- A Tale For The Time Being – “It's beautiful, spiritual, silly and full of great lessons about life and how to maintain your own peace.”
2- Flowers For Algernon – “When I first read it, I put it down halfway and wrote it off. I decided to finish it and see what it's about and it left me in tears. It's a book that leaves you with a lot of gratitude about life.”
3- The Perks Of Being A Wallflower – “It's all about the teenage experience – finding your people, finally feeling like you fit in and how hard it can be to find your place in this world. It's a modern day Catcher In The Rye, which is likely why I loved it so much.”
4- The Catcher In The Rye – “A classic that’s an absolute must-read. I think the way the author treats teenage angst in this story is refreshing. It’s spun in a very beautiful and relatable way.”
5- The Handmaid’s Tale – “My all-time favourite book. It's not a happy story but it's one that taught to me to hope more and to appreciate the little things that help make life beautiful.”