Project Adopt
Do you remember the last time you ate at a five star hotel or bought clothes at a designer outlet? While you were doing all this, did you ever think of the people who are deprived of all these benefits? We think that not having a Blackberry in our Gucci purse is a problem; whereas in the world, people have no means of attaining food, shelter, clothes and other basic necessities. Every minute, many children die just because they have nothing to eat. They are orphans and have no one to look after them. Imagine the agony that one morning you were to wake up as a beggar sleeping somewhere on the roadsides having no one to take care of you, all alone with nothing to eat. A dreadful thought indeed!
In a world where some people spend their lives worshipping their money and living in greed, we have many great people who serve their fellow human beings who are in need. Yes, in this modern world of rage, greed and anger we have thousands of charities, orphanages and organisations that are helping the needy and the homeless. Charity doesn’t mean that you must have thousands of dollars to donate to make it count. Instead it’s the spirit of helping others with everything you’ve got.
In search of this spirit and the realisation of the fact that many people are deprived of life’s basic necessities and luxuries, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas arranged a special event by the name of “Project Adopt”, to raise funds to help the children of a local orphanage.
The IB students came together to locate this orphanage, “Sindathmathi Divine Life Ashram” and contacted the founder to address their urgent needs to determine what they can provide without any initial funding at first. They aimed to use their efforts to raise funds, provide different experiences and discover hidden talents and maximise the potential of the children and of the orphanage itself. The main organising committee of students and the reason they got involved in this project are :
- Phoebe – So that people don’t have to suffer and be able to live a life like the one I’m living.
- Mei Sim – To widen their horizons.
- Chang Shun – To create positive minds.
- Kazuki – To create the culture of giving back.
- Dimitri – To bring our world to them.
- Amirul – To enable my peers to realise the plight of the less fortunate.
They intended to facilitate the children at the orphanage by providing them with:
- A Football Team
- Motivational Talks
- Music Workshops
- Regular Baking Classes
- Academic Assistance & Tutoring
The orphanage, home to 50 people, requires separate dormitories for the boys and girls, and a better sanitary and water supply system. In terms of external help, they are hoping to attain support from companies to sponsor them with raw materials and possibly labourers to get the building done as soon as possible, including plumbing and the water supply system. In the event of delayed replies from the companies, the students are ready to bear part of the burden to ensure that the Divine Life Ashram can receive the benefits they deserve as soon as possible.
In order to raise funds, stalls were set up every Friday and Monday for the students of Taylor’s Hartamas to donate their old clothes which were still in good condition. The clothes collected were later sold at the Taylors’ Learning Carnival to raise money for the orphanage. The aim of the whole project was to help the children break through their cycle of poverty and ignorance and help them live up to their full potential. So far the Taylors’ students seem to be achieving this aim successfully.
The IB students will also be paying a visit to the orphanage from April 27th – May 1st, 2012. UNACAS, which stands for UNACompannied Association, is an orphanage located approximately fifteen kilometers from the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. The orphanage was founded by Mrs. Sar Sakkada, and it has grown greatly and currently supports 99 children.
The student’s goal was to ensure that the orphanage is able to sustain and survive independently and to provide the children with opportunities and also to enrich their skills and potential that will change their lives. A magnificent goal indeed.
The students have arranged a series of entertaining events including a Food Sale to raise the required amount of money needed for their trip. The events include:
- 40/60 Raffle Draw: Students will select numbered tickets of their choice. Each ticket will be priced around RM1 – RM5. The student whose number matches that of the randomly picked number will win 40% of the funds raised.
- Pie A Teacher: Students will pay a fixed price (around RM1 – RM3) to vote for which teacher should be hit with a pie on the face.
- Funny Photo Contest: Each photo submitted will be priced at around RM1 – RM5, and it will have an element of comedy. Five selected photos will be revealed for students to vote in exchange for a price of RM1. The contestant(s) of the winning photo will receive the amount of money the students paid in exchange to vote.
- Donation boxes: One box will be set up on each floor for students to donate their spare change.
The project does not only help the children of the orphanage but also gives us students a break from our crazy academic schedules. It also allows us to realize the conditions of the less fortunate especially in a third world country, and to learn how to manage time despite working under tight deadlines and to learn the dynamics of team work.
The IB students hope to continue Project Adopt even after the Cambodia trip in order to ensure that they live up to their full capacity and potential in helping the poor and the homeless.
A message to remember is to break down the walls of greed and thirst and step up to help those in need. It doesn’t have to be something big but should stem from the heart and the soul. We must realize the pain of a father when he has no shelter to give to his children, realize the pain of a mother when she has no food to spare for her child, and realize the pain of children who spend their days grieving the lives of their lost parents. Only when we acquire these traits of humanity and humility can we make this earth a better place for us, and for everyone else.
BY FATIMA ZAHID
