Rise4Refugees

The Story

Greetings! We are volunteers from AIESEC in Sunway. In conjunction with the SGD 10 : Reduced Inequalities, we are currently working on a project called Empowering Equalities, where we aim to assist the refugees in Malaysia.

Back in March 2020, the world was struck by the global pandemic, COVID-19. Millions of lives were affected and many have been tragically sacrificed. Countries around the world were hit by an economic crisis, including Malaysia. 

However, one of the communities that were heavily impacted were the refugees. With the retrenchments and loss of jobs, refugees in Malaysia are struggling to survive. According to the UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency), there are currently over 179,000 asylum-seekers and refugees residing in Malaysia and about 47,000 of them are children below the age of 18. The main populations registered with the UNHCR are ethnic minority groups from Myanmar, representing around 86% of the overall population. 

So many have lost their jobs, their houses and their ability to provide BASIC NECESSITIES for themselves and their family. And yes, this includes the inability to afford their children’s school fees. The problem is that refugee children, including the orphaned ones in Malaysia are not able to enroll in any of the public schools AND are not allowed to work below the age of 16. This puts them at risk of not receiving basic education that we believe every child deserves to have.

It is truly heartbreaking that there are still a large number of people who are not aware of the issues that the refugees in Malaysia are facing. We strongly believe that every child, regardless of their age, race or religion, should have the rights to access basic education. We are privileged enough to live a comfortable life, without having to wake up EVERY SINGLE DAY, worrying if we can afford our next meal or worrying if we will still have a roof over our head the next morning. Unfortunately, most people tend to take these things for granted.

Everyday, is a battle for the refugees. Having their basic education rights stripped off is just ONE part of the picture. We hope that everyone will finally be able to see the WHOLE picture of the world that the refugees live in. Therefore, we are calling people to #Rise4Refugees and help make the world a better place for them.

(All donations will go to The Peace Education Centre (TPEC) and Manna House Learning Centre (MHLC) where they will continue to operate and help provide education for the refugee kids)

Do reach us on instagram for more info :-

Aziemah : @zieariffin

https://www.instagram.com/zieariffin/

Ern : @ernern_yang

https://www.instagram.com/ernern_yang/

Krishna : @_kveeni26

https://www.instagram.com/_kveeni26/

Empowering Equalities : @e.equalities

https://www.instagram.com/e.equalities/

And go check out the TPEC’s and MHLC’s facebook page :-

The Peace Education Centre (TPEC)

https://www.facebook.com/ThePeaceEduCentre

Manna House Learning Centre (MHLC)

https://www.facebook.com/mhlcMelissa/

So, are you willing to make a change?