A group photo of the event.

UCSI students and staff at the donation drive.

(l to r) PhD students Abbirami Balachandran and Carine Lim.

Discussing the benefits of the project.

Loading of the donation items.

Team work.

Donation items being loaded into the truck.

UCSI’s Faculty of Applied Sciences held its ‘Engage With The Community’ project on 8 December, 2020. Staff and students alike participated in the event working together with Agarthiyar Universal Mission Organisation to collect donated items.

These items, comprising books clothes, toys, electrical appliances, kitchen utensils and stationery were distributed to B40 families in PPR Kota Damansara and families in Seremban. The event was in support of UN SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13 – Climate Action and Goal 17 – Partnerships For The Goals.

According to event chairperson Kavita Chirara, the event was extremely beneficial as it provided a chance to give to others and share with each other during these challenging times.

“We hope to inspire students in higher education to give to the needy. Also it is an excellent way to achieve our Corporate Social Responsibility criteria,” she said.

The event saw students and staff collecting, arranging and labelling items for distribution. Their collective hard work as well as team work were apparent in their eagerness and willingness to do their part in helping the needy.    

Assistant Professor Dr Tan Choon Hui also said the event was meaningful and was a win-win situation where donors got to “de-clutter” their homes.

“Often times, we buy too many things. This is an opportunity to give to the poor and needy. It is also a chance for us to contribute to the community in a responsible way,” she said.

PhD students Abbirami Balachandran and Carine Lim had no second thoughts in participating in the donation drive. They said reaching out to people not only brought happiness to the recipients but also made them happy too.

Head of Praxis, Industry and Community Engagement Associate Professor Dr Patrick Nwabueze Okechukwu had this to say:

“As a praxis university, the benefits in engaging with the community are countless. We learn from the emotional aspect, the empathy aspect and the project aspect. We get to see the bigger picture and become motivated to do good to the community as a whole.”

Agathiyar is a non-religious community action group that distributes food to the homeless and underprivileged as well as provides basic medical aid and motivational talks They also provide resources for the needy to improve their quality of life.

Their vision is to contribute to a conducive condition of good governance and sustainable livelihood towards a poverty free society.

The transportation cost for the donated items to be sent to recipients at PPR Kota Damansara was fully borne by the Gujarati Association of Wilayah Persekutuan and Selangor, represented by Dipak V. Damani who was also present at the event.

Overall, the event was successful and one in which participants got to experience the joy of giving, being compassionate and empathetic towards those less fortunate.