On 21 January 2019, Global Peace Foundation Malaysia in collaboration with Deutsche Bank kick-started their Born to Be partnership. Born to Be is Deutsche Bank’s youth engagement programme, which helps young people realise their full potential. Together, the two organisations launched a youth empowerment programme that aims to cultivate self-esteem, resilience, and social skills among Orang Asli children. The aim is to foster greater interest in learning and reduce school drop-outs. There is a total of 50 Orang Asli youths from Kampung Hulu Chemperuh, ranging from five to 17-year-olds, that are involved in this year-long programme. The pillars of the programme are designed to encourage the Orang Asli children to explore their potential in sports and arts and crafts and develop important life skills.
The Orang Asli youths in Hulu Chemperuh struggle with issues pertaining to academics and learning. In most cases, the youths lack self-esteem, making them apprehensive and less expressive in their interactions. Factors such as the necessity for the youths to help their parents in farming or getting income cause the village to suffer from a high drop-out rate and low attendance in school. The youths here are academically lagging behind as a result.
Annie Yeo, Regional Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Deutsche Bank said, “Our Born to Be programme helps young people realise their dreams. Working in partnership with Global Peace Malaysia, we can enhance the lives of these indigenous children and empower them to build a better future for themselves and their community.”
During the launching ceremony, activities such as Grab The Flag and Poison Ball really captured the kids’ interest. Moreover, parents also showed their cooperation and support by participating in the Parents Engagement session. With the help of five volunteers, the activities conducted for the Orang Asli community in Hulu Chemperuh went smoothly. All in all, it was a fruitful event as we were able to connect with the youth as well as their parents.
On 23 and 24 February 2019, we conducted the Leadership camp for the Orang Asli youth at Radiant Site in Janda Baik. There was a total of 26 children that turned up for the event, ranging from five to 17-year-olds. During this two days camp, the children were exposed to many new and exciting activities such as 3D printing and River Trekking. Aside from that, there were also activities catered to the younger youth such as The Amazing Race, Clay Rock, and Camp Challenge. These activities were designed to instill teamwork, creativity, and confidence in the youth. It was a successful camp where trust and bonds between the Orang Asli youth and our team were forged.
“So far, they have surpassed my expectation. Most of them are quite disciplined in the camp and it will be very exciting to see, in terms of character development, how much they will develop over this one year. I have a very positive view on them,” explains Wan Nurul Hanani, the Programme Lead for this Born to Be partnership as well as our Programme and Community Engagement Manager.
We will be organising monthly engagements with Hulu Chemperuh’s Orang Asli community. You can be part of the programme by signing up as a volunteer. For more information, visit https://globalpeace.org.my/volunteer/.
Written by
Saffa Latif, Associate Intern
Elyna Kamarubahrin, Associate Intern
