Humanity starts with us

Volunteers of MyCorps second mission in Cambodia are hard at work to build nurseries and latrines for the locals.- Photo: MyCorps Facebook

NOWADAYS, there are countless social media posts by the public concerning humanity issues. Poverty, conflicts in war-torn countries and refugees’ plight are among the popular topics that attract public attention. However, do people really care about humanitarianism? To what extent are people willing to sacrifice to uphold their so-called humanity sense?

Working in the humanitarian field has made me realise that it is not just concern that the world needs but action itself. Opinions uttered will be valuable if they are accompanied by action. All over the world, many families live with insufficient basic necessities, children are without educational aid, or even parents, to rely on. All these people need our “real” help, not just the concern expressed.

I am not implying that all of us should go to the countries in crisis or donating a huge amount of money in order to show our sincerity. It is contribution that we are looking for. Even a small contribution would bring happiness and ease the burden of those in need. You can start by helping those families in poverty or homeless people in our country, for instance, if you are unable to extend help to those in other countries. Again, it’s a matter of contribution.

There are a number of Malaysian activists who are

willing to sacrifice their knowledge, time, even money, to help the community. The Government too has conducted many volunteering programmes locally as well as internationally with the assistance of local non-governmental organisations.

For instance, the Youth and Sports Ministry has initiated the youth volunteer programme MyCorps, which is open to Malaysians aged between 18 and 30 to apply. Recently, 45 volunteers were deployed to the Middle East – Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey – for the winter mission. Previously, MyCorps had sent volunteers to Cambodia to help the needy.

There are also many NGOs that provide a platform for Malaysians to get involved with humanitarian programmes. Among them are Malaysian Humanitarian Aid and Relief (Mahar) and Malaysia Life Line for Syria (MLLFS).

There are countless opportunities in our country for us to help those in need. So why don’t we start now? Start to spread the love, peace and humanity today. Remember, humanity starts with us.

RAJA NURASHIKEN

RAJA AHMED

MyCorps @ Middle East Secretariat