KUALA LUMPUR – Volunteers from the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) have taken the initiative to collect used clothing and cash to be distributed among the homeless and urban poor communities around the city on 22nd March 2024.
The program, known as Sinar Ramadan, is organized by the Department of Psychology and Counselling, Student Affairs Centre (PHEP) of USIM, in collaboration with Pembimbing Rakan Universiti (PRU) Club of USIM, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) Peers Club, and two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), namely Food For Gelandangan (FFG) and Jejak Jalanan.
The Program Director, Nurul Nadia Ibrahim, a third-year student from the Faculty of Economics and Muamalat, stated that this program, being the first of its kind held in collaboration with four parties, aims to foster a sense of responsibility and empathy among club members towards the less fortunate, while also promoting the practice of charitable giving, especially during the month of Ramadan.
“We provide a space for collecting used clothes in the campus for two weeks and generate donation funds through entrepreneurial activities by our club members themselves to make this program a success. We are grateful for the overwhelming response from the community. A total of 35 boxes of used clothes were successfully collected,” she added.
More than 20 USIM student volunteers are involved in this program.
Apart from food and daily necessities donations, health screenings and psychological support activities are also conducted by a team of paramedic volunteers and a group of counsellors from the Department of Psychology and Counselling, Student Affairs Centre USIM.
The program was officiated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) USIM, Professor Dato’ Dr. Adnan Mohamed Yusoff, and was attended by the Director of Student Affairs Centre USIM, Md. Ishah Rahman, the Director of Counselling, Career and Alumni Centre UPNM, Sharizan Samad, university officials, and members of the USIM Student Representative Council (MPP).
Professor Dato’ Dr. Adnan Mohamed Yusoff said that the program nurtures a spirit of humanity in students in line with efforts to produce holistic students with outstanding personalities.
“This program provides a real experience to students who have only heard and read about the hardships of these groups, but tonight, they get to experience it by seeing for themselves what happens here,” he said.
He added that the program also serves as an exposure to instil noble values in them so that they are empathetic and always emphasize manners in the process of helping the less fortunate.
Written by: Tuan Mohd Ameer Bin Tuan Ismail
Translated by: Adika Hakmi Ab Ghani