UTM International, together with UTM Global Buddies, held a donation drive called “1 Item 1 Person” this past Ramadan to provide basic necessities to a local orphanage while spreading awareness regarding underprivileged communities. The campaign that lasted from 20 to 29 May 2019 garnered an overwhelmingly positive response, with contributions made by staff and students of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), and also from the public.
Basic necessities such as rice, oil, and sugar were among the contributions received.
To ensure that the transaction of contributions proceeded smoothly and successfully, UTM International collaborated with the founder and the principal of Rumah Anak Yatim Raudhatul Maryam, Haji Mohd Nasir. The contributions were brought to the orphanage, which housed 45 children aged between 5 and 17, by hand on 29 May by Prof. Dr. Nor Haniza Sarmin (Associate Director of Student Services & Global Education Experience), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ariffin Abu Hassan (Manager of Student Experience) and the management team from UTM International, together with UTM Global Buddies and UTM students, both local and international, from various faculties.
The representatives from UTM International along with Haji Mohd Nasir.
This campaign was also covered by mainstream media outlet ASTRO Awani, under the title of “Khabar Dari Johor: Program Seikhlas Kasih Lebaran UTM”, which can be found at http://english.astroawani.com/videos/show/awani-state/khabar-dari-johor-program-seikhlas-kasih-lebaran-utm-471213. This coverage was done with a hope that public awareness can further be increased so that other homes and shelters can be provided with aid and contributions.
During the visit to the orphanage, the representatives from UTM International put together a program called “1 Item 1 Person”, where Miss Fasihah Binti Mohd Jaslan (Manager of Inbound Mobility), together with UTM Global Buddies conducted some fun activities with the students of the orphanage. This program, with the theme “Seikhlas Kasih Lebaran UTM”, was also part of UTM International’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
One of the activities was called “Connection Error”, where the students were arranged into five lines and were asked to pass messages to their friends. This activity is commonly known as “Telefon Karat” in Malay. 30 minutes and a few messages later, the facilitators reveal the correct messages to the students. Then, each person at the end of the line was asked to read out the messages that they had received. As usual, laughter and yells of excitement filled the air as all the messages sent to the last person were totally botched from the original. In this activity, the students learned about the importance of listening carefully, noticing details and preserving information. The prize giving ceremony followed right after.
Some moments captured during the activities held at the orphanage.
Meanwhile, some of the representatives helped organise all the contributions and others volunteered to clean around the premises of the orphanage. About 50 bags of rice, 30 bottles of cooking oil, multiple kilograms of sugar, a few bags of noodles and other basic necessities were successfully delivered.
Representatives from UTM International assisting with clean-up duties.
The campaign and visit to Rumah Anak Yatim Raudhatul Maryam was a sweeping success. Through such community outreach, UTM International and UTM students were able to graciously celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by practicing the art of giving. Programs and drives such as these are carried out from time to time to not only give back to society, but to also produce students who are more appreciative and aware of societal development and public communities. The visit to the orphanage ended at half past noon with a group photo.
“The best of people are those that bring most benefit to the rest of mankind.”
– Prophet Muhammad
Yours Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Nor Haniza Sarmin (Associate Director);
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan (Manager (Student Experience));
Fasihah Mohd Jaslan (Manager (Inbound Mobility));
Student Services & Global Educational Experience,
UTM International