Handing help to volunteers

Today's experience organising a charity drive opens my eyes, yet again.

Our encounter with volunteers have always been interesting, rewarding, enriching and some times a little frustrating, but I guess that's all in the day's work.:)

Donors in Malaysia have big hearts, and I applaud them, to be able to share your wealth with others so they could have a better life is a fantastic and noble gesture.   Some donors are great, they organise charity drives themselves, have the initiative to go to the homes and make contact with the less fortunate to help ease their burdens. Some are a little shy, preferring to buy the items and pass it on to the 'braver' ones to make the trip, or some are just plain busy, but have the little time to pick up in-kind contributions and pass it to a messenger who can help deliver the goods for them.

Everyone deserves a big pat on their back for their thoughts, gestures and initiative.  I just want to impart some thoughts on this.

1. Perhaps there are different roles people tend to adopt in charity drives, some prefer to organise the logistics and make the visit themselves and some prefer to purchase the goods and pass it on to messengers for delivery.

2. Some people are shy or nervous even, visiting a home can be daunting, especially when the conditions are poor and dirty, and it hurts the heart for one to experience that environment.  I feel it often too when I make my visits to senior citizen's homes and animal shelters.  So many donors may choose to donate 'anonymously'.

3.  Some people prefer a low profile, none of that picture taking, mock cheque posing, they prefer to give the money to others to buy the goods and remain in the background, not to take any credit for the philanthrophic act.

4.  And there are those who have the intention of doing it, but can't seem to find the time, energy, drive, etc, to do it.  I say, just prioritise your plans, if you can't make space or find bandwith to contribute or make a trip to a children's home this month, try it next quarter or next year.  Don't feel guilty, do it when you are able to. Remember any gesture is very much appreciated at the other end, from a simple phone call to say hello, to singing karaoke with the abandoned parents at Tong Sim or hanging with these Burmese children (photo below) at the United Learning Centre.:)

Volunteering in Malaysia

Each time I speak to a young person, I get the sense that community work and charity is on top of their minds.  Even entrepreneurs launching new business want to turn it into a social enterprise, from promoting sustainable eco-friendly practices, to helping empower poor youth by giving them skills to be independent.  Would it be fair to say that Generation Me, is slowly turning into Generation We?

Hati's partner, Tandemic, took on the challenge to answer this question through their Do Something Good platform and found interesting results.

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Do Something Good says: For every 1,000 Malaysians, there are 7 registered volunteers. While the total number of registered volunteers in Malaysia is projected at about 135,000, it makes up less than 1% of the 20.5 million Malaysians aged above 15.  “We are seeing a surge of interest in volunteering but there is still much more to be done to make volunteering mainstream in our culture,” said Zahirah Md Yusoff, Project Lead for Do Something Good.


The survey studied 17 of Malaysia’s top volunteering organisations and several online volunteering platforms to build a view of the state of volunteering in Malaysia. The survey focused on unpaid volunteers working with registered non-religious and non-political organisations.

Another key concern that emerged in the survey was the engagement level of volunteers. While the survey included 30,215 registered volunteers, it found that slightly less than 30% (8,856) of volunteers were actively engaged in volunteering with their organisations.

While many supported volunteering -- either through Facebook likes or by being registered as a volunteer -- only a fraction took the time to volunteer. 

“Some might say this is a reflection of a culture of armchair activism, but I am more optimistic. I think the key point is creating volunteering opportunities that cater to people’s different levels of engagement,” says Kal Joffres, the technology developer behind Do Something Good.

However, the ability to manage volunteers at varying levels of engagement was reported as a major challenge for NGOs. Many resource-strapped NGOs found it difficult to involve people in their workflow without training them first and without people in their organisation dedicated to volunteer management. As a result, some organisations preferred to rely on a small group of dedicated volunteers rather than large, high-turnover groups of volunteers.

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The sample surveyed may have been small to accurately gauge people's attitudes towards volunteering.  Hati receives feedback from some organisation that publicising a home's needs is effective, the more volunteers and donors know about a cause, the more likely the home or cause gets support.

So, not to be disheartened by just numbers, I remain optimistic about volunteerism in Malaysia. We don't guilt people into helping others, if it is in them, they will need very little or no encouragement at all.

Pictures courtesy of friends from the Singout Asia Team, who lead many initiatives, one of them is volunteering at El Shaddai Shelter for the Homeless in Kuala Selangor. El Shaddai is in a new location now, if you're keen to help them, get in touch with team@hati.org.my

Give, given, gifts..

Lots of decisions this week.

It's the end of the year and usually for most communities, it's a time for giving, especially to the less fortunate.

Questions Hati often receives is, who to give to and how to give, would a small (or large) amount be enough, are homes deserving of our gifts?

What I can say is that, giving is a personal choice.  Often I tell people that give openly only if you want to.  There are no rules about giving to the underprivileged, only that you give generously with little or even no expectation of anything in return.

Give to causes you feel strongly about, helping disabled children, keeping wildlife protected or even saving old buildings.  We know of a movement that collects unused hotel toiletries for the needy, so give to that too. Or give to people who grow their own vegetables at the Slow Food movement.

Hati met the great people behind Give.Sg this week, and they've come up with an amazing way for people to give.  Go along to their site, to check out the tools, campaigns and creative ideas on giving.

So feel free to give with an open heart and mind. 

Do homes have the right to demand?

I met a donor a few days ago, who was running fundraisers for the first time.  One of her plans is to buy school shoes for underprivileged children, so they have brand new shoes when they head back to school in 2013.  That's a great idea,  I thought. Donating items to fit the needs of these children that need our support. This helps shed the notion that homes, orphanages, senior citizen's residences and animal shelters are suitable places for dumping our used items, i.e damaged or dirty items.  These communities need support, not pity and not to be treated as undeserving of clean, usable and new items.

We talked a bit more and she raised an issue. Do homes have the right to demand?  She had  encountered one such institution who made specific demands, or maybe requests for many, many items, with specifications to install, set up and construct the contributions at the shelter. Can home administrators ask for unlimited supply? If donors are uncomfortable with these requests, should they speak up?

Where do you draw the line?

Rumbling with Jumble Station

Working in the social sector is tough.  From making sure you have enough money to cover your monthly costs, to making sure the children you care for have good and nutritious food and not forgetting that abandoned parents need the same attention and care as well.

But, amidst all this, it is inspiring to see that social workers and volunteers keep their smiles when they plough through their daily routines.  I've had the pleasure of meeting so many in the past years and plan to share their stories over time in this blog.

Yesterday, I finally met the folks (or one of the many wonderful people) behind Jumble Station - Mary Anne Tan, a great speaker with a bubbly personality.  Humbly I say, they love what we do and I personally love what they do.  Jumble Station carry out remarkable initiatives to help single parents from all communities become financially independent.

Their latest venture is to hold a photography course for youngsters, and their looking out for cameras.  So if you have a spare or pre-loved camera, share them with Jumble Station. Here's their callout: (sorry Mary Anne, I've "borrowed" this image. :) )

If you don't have a camera, but other pre-loved items like spectacles, books, electrical appliances, do share them with Jumble Station, they collect these items for sale in flea markets to raise funds for their cause.

You can learn more about them on their blog, Rumble on Jumble (Station).

Helping yourself to help others

One of the common queries we receive at Hati.my is recommendations of orphanages or welfare homes to help.  We've started a category, called "Recommended", listing down organisations  orphanages and shelters that the past and present Hati team notes as, "most in need of help".  Yes, we are helping all organisations listed in our directory (and some not), but I personally like this section because it brings attention to communities that are often "forgotten" because they are not in the urban areas or not convenient to get to.

From our conversations with home administrators and volunteers, homes that are in urban areas like Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor and Selangor, tend to receive a little more attention that their rural cousins.  Some times we receive emails appealing for funds from the public from shelters in Kulim, outside Ipoh and Malacca.  I wish we could find out about the others who do not have access to internet.

If you're keen to learn more about the Recommended category, check it out here:

So if you're a first time volunteer looking to help out, donate some cash or goods or keen to visit orphanages, here are some questions you can ask yourself, to help you make your selection. It is a bit like signing up to a gym membership, as you'll find the questions are not very different from those guiding you visiting the gym.:)

1.  Is the home near where you live, is it convenient to get to?
2.  Do you like helping, children, senior citizens, animals or disabled communities, or do you feel strongly about indigenous communities' affairs and want to do something about it?
3.  What do you want to do - give cash or groceries or volunteer (teaching, cleaning, running projects, setting up computers)
4.  How often can you visit or would you prefer to make a one-off donation or visit?
5.  Do you want to bring a friend? Sometimes visiting a home alone can be daunting, so perhaps visiting with a friend will make it easier, you'll make new friends too!

Orphans are the new donors

I love this story from Indonesia.  Often, we read about appeals to help orphans, making them the recipients of gifts, donations and service, and usually it stops there.  This inspiring story from Yayasan Prima Unggul tells us how orphans are giving back to society, as a way to show their gratitude.  In their own words, here: (My favourite quotes in red.:))

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Ani, 46, was raised in an orphanage, and now she is back, to send her own son there.

“I have no choice,” Ani explained, “My husband passed away and I simply can’t afford to provide for my son, much less his education.”
Situations like this are not uncommon in Indonesia, where 21 million people still live below the poverty line. Martinua Gea, 43, however, believes that there is a solution. In fact, he intends to transform 10,000 orphans into entrepreneurs.
“Traditional orphanages are sustaining a vicious poverty cycle where generations of children are raised by orphanages. We need to end this poverty cycle and stop marketing pity and poverty. We need to focus on the future and we can do this through quality education,” said Gea.
He founded Yayasan Prima Unggul (YPU), a non-profit entrepreneurship high school for orphans in February 2011. With firsthand experience growing up in an orphanage, Martin explained that an orphan’s mindset often inhibits them from success and one of YPU’s aim is thus to empower orphans.
“Everything we have, we received from others,” Gea explained, “We were dependent on others’ goodwill and always saw ourselves as powerless. We didn’t know we had it in us to do something big.”

YPU students undergo an entrepreneurship based practical education that equips them not only for success in their own lives, but also gives them a chance to contribute to society. Students run several small business units within the school, and the profits contribute to about 20% of the total operational cost to run the school and care for the students’ daily needs.
“YPU made me more independent and self-confident. I picked up many new skills by apprenticing at different companies,” YPU student, Andhika Kristian, 15, said, “I feel that I can take my skills back to my hometown and start a business after I graduate.”
Students also contribute to society by holding low-cost Mathematics and Sciences courses for elementary school children in the neighbourhood.

“I’m really happy to be guiding these students,” 16 years old Maria Densiana said, “My leadership and training skills are also improving.”
While the organisation is still highly reliant on donations, Gea hopes that in five years’ time, the school can depend on itself and spread the self-sustainable model throughout Indonesia.
“If you think orphans have nothing to give, think again. Our orphans are determined to inspire and give to society. They’re the new donors.” 

YPU urgently need funds to sustain its operations. If you wish to donate, you can do so via bank transfer. Details can be found in www.primaunggul.org/donate or touch base with Belda Kosasih at  +62 081310 358201 or email info@primaunggul.org