Empowering refugees. Connecting communities.
 

Our Partners

 

Schools for refugees

The refugee schools in Malaysia are in poor urban areas, not in refugee camps. They are illegal and the students and teachers are vulnerable to persecution by police and immigration officers or attacks by local gangs, so the schools are in discreet locations, often in upstairs apartments. To avoid offence they are sometimes called Learning Centres. We directly sponsor seven primary schools with enrolments ranging from 25 to 110 through financial contributions and teacher training. Each of these schools is run by a particular language group within the Myanmar refugee population.

Ruth Education Centre

Ruth Education Centre (REC), is a residential school for 70 refugee teenagers who are training to be teachers in the refugee primary schools. Most of them are currently teaching at least part-time in a school.

Alliance of Chin Refugees

The Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR) was formed in 2005 to respond to the needs of Chin refugees and asylum seekers. ACR is a democratic organisation with its executive committee being elected from the 17 main ethnic Chin communities living in Malaysia. ACR seeks to support the Chin community through the ACR Learning Centre as well as advocacy, health, welfare, training, employment and legal services.

 
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What We Do

As a small committed bunch, mainly from Westgate Baptist Community in Melbourne, we raise funds here in Australia so that we can make regular donations to the schools and refugee support agencies in Malaysia. Our members, who are all volunteers, visit the refugees frequently throughout the year to provide financial, material and professional help in a variety of ways. We encourage others to visit with us to teach in the refugee schools or assist with training the refugee teachers who are teaching without formal qualifications. We know that our visits provide hope and reassurance that the world has not forgotten their plight in the long wait for resettlement to a third country.

 

105+

thousand dollars donated

Since our beginning in 2012 we have raised over $105,000 which has directly impacted the lives of the most vulnerable refugees in Malaysia.

 

10+

Years Serving communities

We have built long-lasting relationships with the refugee communities in Malaysia and have established a deep sense of trust that allows us to do what we do.

 
 

5+

Thousand children Impacted

Through our teacher training, curriculum development and english classes we have directly impacted the education outcomes of over 5,200 children.

 

Our Activities

Since our first tour of Malaysia, we have completed 18 trips in total! During each visit, our key objective is to provide support for the Learning Centres, Hospices, Women’s Groups and Mobile Health Clinics. Here is a list of some of our key activities and milestones from over the years:

  • Provided educational materials such as textbooks and workbooks

  • Paid for students’ daily lunches

  • Paid Teachers’ salaries

  • Delivered many hours of ‘face to face’ teaching time

  • Delivered an ongoing teacher training program with young ‘volunteer’ refugees who will teach at the many Learning Centres

  • Provided First Aid kits to the school

  • Ongoing financial support to schools for utilities such as rent, electricity, internet, and other ongoing bills

  • Financial support to Brother Alex’s Hospice for AIDs and Rohingya refugees

  • Financial support for a women’s hospice

  • Provided scholarships to allow young Australian volunteers to attend volunteer trips to Malaysia

  • Provided financial support to the Ruth Education Centre, a boarding and educational facility for young adult refugees

  • Provided a portable desktop Ultrasound machine for the mobile clinics

  • Formulated and delivered a Road Safety program to children in all the Learning Centres

  • Formulated and delivered a Child Safety program to the children who are unaware of predators online

  • Provided music stands for a school with a music program

  • Held two art exhibitions fundraisers to assist in our work

  • Sold beautifully crafted goods to support the Mang Ta Womens’ Group in Malaysia

  • Sold Christmas cards in support of the learning centres in Malaysia