Underprivileged Orang Asli children in Gua Musang get preschool access thanks to social enterprise

KUALA LUMPUR, August 23 — Some 25 underprivileged Orang Asli children in Gua Musang, Kelantan will now be able to enjoy better access to preschool education.

And it’s all thanks to local social enterprise, Projek57, who along with its supporters have managed to raise funds and built a new preschool there which will begin its first enrolment this January 2024.

Twenty-five underprivileged children aged between five to six years old have already been registered in the new preschool which will also be providing them with nutritious daily meals apart from their education.

Projek57 which was founded in 2015 with its aim to encourage hope among Malaysians while improving lives of disadvantaged youth, have a large segment of their initiatives centred around underprivileged Orang Asli youths.

According to co-founder Syed Sadiq Albar, education can be seen as an equaliser which can provide Malaysians from all walks of life an opportunity to advance regardless of background, race or culture.

“Our main reason for starting this preschool project was to better prepare Orang Asli children for primary school which can be more challenging for disadvantaged groups.

“By helping them embark on their education journey from an early age with the right tools and nutritious meals, they can get a head start that will hopefully help them to continue learning and thriving,” he said in a statement.

Building the preschool is one thing but sustaining it is another as they would need approximately RM100,000 to maintain the operations and infrastructure of the preschool annually.

This includes providing daily meals for all children during the school term.

“The preschool project is designed to be modular and can be quite easily replicated in other locations and communities that need such educational facilities.

“We believe that the earlier preschools can be the catalyst for more preschools to be built and with more partners with similar core values,” he said.

(From third left to second right) Projek 57 co-founder Syed Sadiq Albar, PACS CEO Hew Li Lyn, Wee Kiat Phng and Projek57 co-founder Collin Swee along with volunteers in Gua Musang, Kelantan. — Picture courtesy of Projek57

The preschool project was also a collaborative effort between Projek57 and their supporter and contributor, Prudential Ampri Cleanroom Services (PACS).

PACS chief executive officer Phng Wee Kiat said that they have chosen Projek57 as their main corporate social responsibility platform and are planning to replicate the preschool programme in other parts of the country.

“We chose to partner with Projek57 due to their admirable goal of providing educational support and other opportunities for the Orang Asli’s ongoing development.

“As fellow Malaysians, the Orang Asli also need our assistance to help the community progress.

“PACS is very pleased to be part of this preschool project to empower through education equality,” he said.

He added that PACS will also get involved more with Projek57 in the future by having employee engagements and through sale of Projek57 merchandise to raise more funds for future projects.

Amongst Projek57 merchandise includes their iconic Unity Ribbon which was inspired by the Jalur Gemilang which was introduced in 2018.

In a new collaborative effort with Royal Selangor, they are now introducing a new version of the Unity Ribbon recrafted in pewter and are available at all Royal Selangor retail shops and showrooms.

One hundred per cent of the profits generated from the sales will be directed to the funding of Projek57’s programmes.