By Afifah Adi and Yana Jaafar
Edited by Nadya R.
Students sitting by rows | Credit: Empowering Youth Refugee Programme
On a fine Friday morning, I had the opportunity to join a trip to the United Arakan Institute Malaysia (UAIM) under the Empowering Youth Refugee Programme. Located in Puchong, UAIM is a school for refugee children of diverse backgrounds, and the program was organised by the International Bureau of the Economics and Management Science Society (EMSS) to provide students with fun learning experiences.
I have never been exposed to volunteering work involving children, so I was looking forward to seeing the teaching-learning exchange between committees and the students. We arrived at the school at 10 a.m., and the program commenced with du’a and Qur’an recitation by Brother Salman and Yusuf. The program manager, Sajjad Sikder Sunny, warmly expressed his gratitude to UAIM for collaborating with the International Bureau of EMSS in conducting this program.
Sunny also extended his appreciation towards his team members and sponsors, Rizki Food, Nooraiza Food, and several anonymous sponsors, in ensuring the program’s smooth execution. “We’re excited to welcome 75 children to the main module and 143 children to the education materials session. I’m grateful to our dedicated team, including the main board, sponsorship, media, module, public relations, preptech, and catering teams, for their invaluable contributions to this event,” he added.
Following the speech, we began with the first module, which was an ice-breaking session. The students were divided into seven groups, with two facilitators assigned to each group. Each group consisted of students aged 7-14 years old, where they sat in a circle.
The facilitators began by having the groups perform cheers to boost their team spirit. To familiarise the children with their group members, they were given a crossword puzzle and a word search game to solve. While I was not involved directly in the session and took the role of an observer, I enjoyed seeing how they tried to understand the keywords presented on the papers.
It was also fascinating to notice how the students spoke in different languages. Some of them communicated in English, while others in their native tongues. There were also quite a number who spoke in Malay fluently and understood each other very well.
Ice-breaking session | Credit: Empowering Youth Refugee Programme
Afterwards, we moved on to the second module called Mini Olympics, which required us to be outdoors. The facilitators played the famous chicken dance song, and the children followed along with the dance performed in front. They were very enthusiastic about it, and there were also some light exercises to warm them up for the next game.
The students were then provided with kain batik—a traditional Malay cloth—which they used to pass a water-filled balloon to the pair next to them, as shown in the accompanying picture. It was a delightful sight to see them trying their best to swing the kain batik with the right amount of strength, as much as it was amusing to see that the balloons ended up bursting when they hit the ground.
Outdoor session | Credit: Empowering Youth Refugee Programme
Later on, we took a lunch break and performed Zuhur prayer together before starting our last module. The third module is called Ecomagination Challenge, which sounded intriguing the first time I heard what it was about. The students were given some recycled materials, such as cardboard, used plastic bottles, paper cups, etc., and asked to build anything that they could imagine using these items. Some of them created very interesting designs, such as a cat house, a robot, plastic guns, protective head gear, and even a KLCC!
Students presenting their creative artwork | Credit: Empowering Youth Refugee Programme
It was very nice to see how excited they were when they showed and explained their artwork. I think it was one of the memorable highlights of the program as they resourcefully created things in their own creative ways.
One of the committees in charge of handling modules mentioned that their team came up with the third module idea collectively. The module was designed to teach students that used items can be recycled by making another creation. It is a sustainable way to save our planet by using the resources that we readily have in our hands. She also highlighted the collective effort behind the program, giving kudos to the entire module team for their dedication and collaboration in developing all the modules together.
She expressed her hope that the students enjoyed the activities the committee had prepared for them and that the program served as an interactive learning experience beyond the usual classroom setting.
As the program came to an end, Assistant Programme Manager, Ilaf Haneen, delivered the closing remarks. Assistant Managing Director and Head of Secondary Education, Abdul Sukkur, also shared his joy in seeing the children fully engaged and enjoying the activities. UAIM’s principal, Ustaz Mohd Sayed Mohammad, likewise expressed his heartfelt appreciation, noting the success of the program and the positive impact it had on the children.
Following the speech, a prize-giving ceremony took place to announce the group winners. Each of the children went up to the stage to receive their prizes, and the program concluded with a photography session together.
Prize-giving ceremony | Credit: Empowering Youth Refugee Programme
Through this program, I gained more than just exposure to volunteering—I witnessed the power of community, education, and dedication in creating memorable moments in the lives of these young learners. I’m grateful for the chance to participate in the program as it allowed me to interact with peers and children from different backgrounds. I hope other societies or organisations from IIUM can follow suit and continue this amazing educational initiative in the future.
Photography session | Credit: Empowering Youth Refugee Programme
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