YSS-Asean programme to see involvement of local communities

MIRI: Students Volunteer Foundation’s ( YSS-Asean) first mission for 2017 that kicked off in five longhouses in Miri will complement the overall involvement of local communities in this country.

Baram MP Anyi Ngau said the implementation of the mission is particularly relevant in addition to cultivating the spirit of volunteerism to expose students to the realities of people’s lives in rural Sarawak.

“We hope that participation in this mission not only will guide the students but also young people and communities in the region, including through community service and education,” he said.

He launched the YSS-Asean2017 programme at Rumah Rawing, Beluru near Miri last Sunday.

Rumah Rawing was an apt choice as one of the programme’s locations in the Beluru area because it ref lects the characteristics of the community living in the Baram area as a whole. Anyi also hoped such activities in the future could expose university students to the culture and customs of the community in addition to aiding people in rural areas in

We hope that participation in this mission not only will guide the students but also young people and communities in the region, including through community service and education.

terms of education, health and so on.

YSS chairman Datuk Zuraidah Atan pointed out that the mission this time involved five places, namely Buddy and Rawing longhouses in Beluru, Rumah Ayai and Rumah Mentali in Bekenu and Kampung Lajong in Niah.

She said that during the mission, student volunteers will be conducting ‘ Fun Learning’ which emphasises the mastery of maths, science and English in addition to helping repair school facilities and holding other community activities within the village including health education programmes.

Most of the students that were interviewed regarding their involvement in the mission were able to familiarise themselves with the people they were going to help.

A volunteer from Vietnam, Pham Thi Quynh Chi, 22, said she was inspired to get involved in the programme based on her childhood experiences when she saw university students doing volunteer projects.

“When I saw the university students doing a variety of things for the benefit of the community, it inspired me to do the same when I started studying in university,” she said.

Chan Jia Yong, 22, said their presence will undoubtedly change or have positive effects especially on children who have trouble learning.

“We hope that the situation here will be transformed and that a child with a learning disability will be better and self- reliant,” she added.

The mission will last until Feb 26 and is undertaken by 121 volunteer students from public and private universities and community colleges as well as teacher trainers from Teacher Education Institutes Malaysia ( IPGM) including four students from Asean countries.

Anyi Ngau, Baram MP