University students clean up Tanjung Lipat Beach
KOTA KINABALU: ASEZ, the World Mission Society Church of God University Student Volunteer Group, took the lead in raising citizens’ environmental awareness by volunteering to clean up local attractions.
On Wednesday, over 30 ASEZ members cleaned up Tanjung Lipat Beach and Taman Awam Teluk Likas area in Kota Kinabalu.
This place is famous for its beautiful view, and it is always crowded with people for jogging, cycling and picnic, especially in the evening.
An officer from ASEZ said, “We have volunteered to clean up litter, hoping that the residents can enjoy a happy life in a pleasant environment in the new year. I expect that our university students’ volunteer activity for the local community will become a good opportunity to draw the participation of people from all walks of life.”
Passersby praised the good work of ASEZ, and some residents even took back their trash after seeing the volunteer work of ASEZ members. This showed that the cleanup activity had a good influence on them.
ASEZ members are college and university students. They used their free time in the morning before their classes start to participate in this meaningful volunteer activity. It began at 8am and lasted for two hours.
The participation of seven university students from South Korea made this activity remarkable.
Though they are not local people, they contributed to the cleanliness and beauty of Kota Kinabalu by actively participating in this volunteer activity which intended to raise the awareness of local residents the importance of protecting the environment.
The area around the park and the beach was full of thoughtlessly discarded trash, such as water bottles, food, scraps, plastic bags like snack bags, and other disposable items.
With large tongs and trash bags in their hands, the ASEZ members carefully looked everywhere and picked up trash hidden even between the rocks. There were also a lot of tree branches, seaweeds, plastic items and even waste tyres tossed by the waves, filling up more than 20 gunny sacks.
Kota Kinabalu City Hall provided gunny sacks and a garbage truck.
“This volunteer activity is very effective to raise environmental awareness of the residents here, especially it encourages the university students to pay attention to environmental protection,” said a City Hall officer.
Businessman Norihah who was doing exercise in the park, was moved by the effort of ASEZ members who cleaned up the park actively by saying, “Rarely see university students concern about environment and willing to participate in volunteer service, this good work must be kept up! Through this I hope to see more university students participate in ASEZ activities!”
One of the ASEZ members who joined this volunteer service, Malen (Cyberjaya College student) said, “This is not the kind of activity which will be done by cleaning just once. I think what is important is to raise environmental awareness of the people. As a college student, I am happy and proud to be able to show example through this activity. I hope more university students will come to realize that we as university students can make a great change for the environment too.”
South Korean university student Soonju said, “Through this kind of cleaning activity, we hope to build up a street as comfortable and warm as a mother. I am very happy that I have contributed for Kota Kinabalu though it’s just a little bit, and I hope through this more people may come to feel the love of mother and make positive changes.”
ASEZ is an international volunteer organization consisting of the Church of God university students all around the world.
“ASEZ” stands for “Save the Earth from A to Z, which means, “Save the world from the beginning to the end.”
As an agent of change, ASEZ helps make the world a better place by carrying out the campaigns – Social Service, Awareness Raising, Victim Relief, and Environmental Protection all over the world. ASEZ volunteers from many campuses in Malaysia, including UCSI University and SEGi University, also conducted environmental cleanups and launched a campaign to cheer for frontline healthcare workers responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the Church of God they belong to is also continuously carrying out activities to improve the welfare of people all around the world, such as blood donation, disaster relief, educational support, and assistance for underprivileged people, as well as environmental protection.
They also took the lead in improving the local community environment in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru and Miri, in addition to conducting the campaign to reduce plastic waste in Subang Jaya, Malaysia.
In Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur, they carried out blood donation drives to help alleviate the blood supply shortage exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Shah Alam, they helped repair 20 flooded homes and damaged roads after the worst flood in 100 years. In Petaling Jaya, they donated emergency supplies to 150 vulnerable households during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, they carried out activities in various fields for their communities and future generations, such as visiting nursing homes, fire stations, and public health agencies, as well as providing educational support.
In recognition of these humanitarian activities at the global level, the Church has received over 3,500 awards, including the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service from the British Queen, the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the U.S. Presidents (Gold, 53 times), the Presidential Award from the three consecutive governments of the Republic of Korea, and the Legislative Merit Medal from the National Congress of Brazil.
In Malaysia, the Church has received over 30 citations from local governments and institutions, including Kota Kinabalu City Hall, Subang Jaya City Council, Petaling Jaya City Council, and director of National Blood Center. ASEZ has also received the Green World Award and the Green Apple Award — the international environment awards — and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Executive Secretary Award in recognition of its efforts to achieve environmental sustainability by protecting the global environment and to promote global citizenship.