Happy Bank is a non-profit organisation, run by 10 working professionals between the ages of 24 and 26 who embrace the joy of community work and support the underprivileged.
They gather their volunteers through social media and by word of mouth.
Happy Bank founder Nurainie Haziqah Shafii, 25, who is a lawyer, started becoming involved in social work in 2009, doing various projects.
“I believe in helping anybody in need, they can be orphans, the homeless or in this case, Rohingyas,” she said.
“Raya Rohingya” is a continuation from Happy Bank’s previous project, “Iftar Rohingya”, where the group distributed 400 packets of food and daily essentials. They also collected donations for the Rohingyas during Ramadan.
“We buy the ingredients and cooking essentials, we cook together and help to pack the food. We then distribute the items to Rohingyas,” Nurainie said.
Assisting Nurainie on this project was Rafik Ismail, who is actively involved in organising charity events and community work.
“We could have used catering services. However, we believe in gotong-royong (working together) and the spirit of togetherness so that the project feels more like a family occasion,” said Rafik.
Besides being a Raya Rohingya volunteer, Ayesha Aqilah M. Hafifi, 28, keeps herself busy by taking part in other projects organised by Happy Bank.
“We help the less fortunate and we try to make it fun. For example, we throw birthday parties for underprivileged children and bring in musicians,” said Ayesha, who is a lecturer at a local college.
“Our future programmes include blood donation drives and education sessions for those in need,” said Nurainie.
For those who are interested in joining the charity work by Happy Bank, look for them on FacebookTwitter or Instagram.
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