More than spreading a message of moderation and love for our nation, social enterprise Projek57 is helping to empower disadvantaged communities for a better life.
IT’S clear that business partners and close friends Syed Sadiq Albar and Collin Swee have an important thing to get off their chest.
Their T-shirts, which are embossed with the iconic symbol of the nation’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj declaring Merdeka and the historic year 1957, shout out that it’s time for us to remember the country’s founding values of tolerance, diversity, unity and progressiveness.
“Ask any Malaysian now if they love Malaysia, and the odds are high that they will say ‘Yes’. They just feel a bit upset about what is happening in the country, especially with the growing extremist views, racial polarisation and religious tension.
“So we wanted to do something to bring back the spirit when the country was born in 1957 – when people of all races came together in so many different ways,” says Swee, evoking the late Tunku’s words as the nation stood on the cusp of a new era.
“Our future depends on how well many different kinds of people can live and work together.”
Syed Sadiq agrees. “Our founding values have enabled us to progress as one people despite our differences.
“But after almost 60 years of independence, Malaysia is now at the crossroads. It’s time we dig deep and focus on values that unite us as one people regardless of our diversity.”
It is to remind Malaysians of these values that Swee and Syed Sadiq, aged 46 and 41 respectively, started Projek57 last August.
“Projek57 is all about spreading hope and love among Malaysians at a time when such values are sorely needed,” says Syed Sadiq.
He says the idea came about after a company retreat that they had with their company’s management personnel more than a year ago.
“When we asked them about their five-year plans, what was in the future for them ... many said they wanted to emigrate. It took us aback.
“After talking to them, we could see their concerns – from the state of education to the state of politics and how policies are not making them feel optimistic about the future.
“And we also hear this from our friends and relatives, so Collin and I decided that we needed to do something about it.”
He says he hopes to get people to see beyond politics and other things that divide us.
“To me, it is not the country’s fault. The country has not been anything but wonderful to us.
“Of course, things can be better, but they are not dire. And maybe we have let the negativity overwhelm us, so we wanted to remind people of the positive things about Malaysia and what we love about it.”
Like many meaningful movements, Projek57 employs a simple strategy to engage and mobilise people – through fun, colourful, graphic slogan T-shirts.
Says Swee: “Everyone loves T-shirts, and T-shirts are also a global trend. We think that when people wear our T-shirts and when they understand the message, they will want to share and spread it.”
True, T-shirts are not only egalitarian clothing items but also have a long history of making statements, changing mindsets and uniting people.
Projek57 T-shirts feature 100% homegrown designs and come in various colours, including white, blue and red. They are priced from RM38, inclusive of GST.
To join in the Projek57 movement, people can buy a T-shirt to “display the Projek57 message proudly”, and share why they are wearing the tee with their friends and family.
“See where the conversation leads, or you can also snap a photo of yourself wearing the tee and post up a message of hope for our nation on social media,” he adds.
Swee and Syed Sadiq aim to sell a million Projek57 T-shirts.
But can a million Malaysians in Merdeka-themed T-shirts really foster unity?
This is where the beauty of the non-political and non-partisan social enterprise comes in.
More than buying into the message of the T-shirts, those who get the Projek57 tees will crucially be contributing to programmes for empowering communities which are less fortunate, such as single mothers and disadvantaged youths.
“About 40% of the profits will be channelled towards these empowerment programmes, as well as other community-building events,” says Syed Sadiq.
One such programme is business skills workshops for single mothers, for which Projek57 is partnering with MYKasih.
“We want to empower them to start their own business. Many are already good at selling kerepek and kuih, but we want to help them expand their business and earn more,” says Swee.
Another is English classes for the youths of an Orang Asli community.
With a small outlet provided by Atria Shopping Gallery in Petaling Jaya, Projek57 is also able to create a concrete platform, a Projek57 store, for the single mothers and disadvantaged youths to “intern” at and learn about retail.
“We got some youths to come and man the shop here so that they can learn the ropes while earning money.
“Those who are interested can also become distributors and sell the T-shirts, where for every tee they sell they can earn RM5 each.
“For the single mothers, at least this is a way to help them get back on their feet, help pay their bills or pay for their children’s education and daily needs,” Swee adds, naming Yayasan Sunbeams Home and Rumah Kebajikan Rukaiyah as other partners.
They are targeting to recruit around 150 single mothers as distributors – roughly 10 in each state.
This is the “real side” of the project, Syed Sadiq remarks.
“It’s not just about wearing Projek57 T-shirts and sharing stories and concerns about Malaysia, or getting ‘Likes’ and followers on social media.
“The store, events and workshops are where we hope we will genuinely reach genuine people.
“We believe every Malaysian has a part to play in the shaping of Malaysia’s future, that’s why we are trying to provide a good opportunity for underserved single mother communities and youths to break free from the cycle of poverty and allow them to become entrepreneurs and make a living for themselves.
“We also want to encourage Malaysians to have more love for their fellow Malaysians, and where better to start than by helping those who have less?” he says, adding that Projek57 is not only looking to sow hope for a better future for every Malaysian, but to also help build a better future for them.
Both Swee and Syed Sadiq agree that youths are the future.
“They are the next generation. They need to build Malaysia into a nation that lives up to the ideals of our founding fathers. If they forget our history, we have no hope,” Syed Sadiq notes.
Concurring, Swee says: “We will be fooling ourselves if we think we can change the country only with this, but we are doing our little bit and hopefully, it can spark others.”
The friends of over 10 years are not only tapping into their entrepreneurial experience for the social enterprise but also their friendship.
“I am a Christian, and Syed is a Muslim – we want to show people that we can work together. It’s not about our different backgrounds, it’s about how we feel about each other and respect each other,” says Swee.
Syed Sadiq chips in, saying that they had met when they were working with rival companies but decided to become business partners when they found that they share the same values and vision.
For Projek57, the business brothers invested an initial RM150,000 to kick off the venture and are working hard to keep their movement of hope self-sustainable, including creating new designs and developing new merchandise.
“We are not taking any profit from this as all the profits will be put back into the project to fund further programmes, training and products,” says Swee, highlighting that Projek57 accounts are externally audited to ensure accountability.
So, what happens when they reach their target of one million T-shirts?
“We sell another million,” they both chime in unison.
For more details, check out www.projek57.com.
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