THE “Letters of Hope” campaign was taken to Perdana Botanical Garden in Kuala Lumpur and opened to public participation for the first time.
The aim was to collect messages of encouragement for children with autism and their families.
The Rise4Rights initiative first took place at Taska Istika Jaya in Puchong, Selangor, last year involving 20 hearing-impaired children.
During the event, volunteers carried out activities such as colouring and puzzle-solving using the dual-purpose “Letters of Hope” card.
The card provide space for a personal message on the back.
This year, the youth-led campaign in conjunction with Autism Awareness Month received a huge response not just from Malaysians, but also from people from the UK, Germany, Poland, South Korea and China.
The “Autism is my Superpower” cards were then delivered to the PPIIS Autism Centre in Kuala Lumpur, which supports children with a range of special needs.
“Sometimes a few kind words can stay with a child who doesn’t always feel included,” said Rise4Rights co-founder Srre Vaishnavi Palanisamy.
“We just wanted people to take a moment to write something from the heart.”
The campaign sought to move beyond passive awareness by encouraging genuine participation and human connection.
Rise4Rights aims to create meaningful ways for communities to connect and ensure that no vulnerable group is left without a message of support.
One of its focus areas is conducting sessions for children and youth on human rights and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, using customised card games tailored to different age groups to make learning more engaging, accessible and impactful.
The initiative also runs community-driven campaigns such as “Kindness Travels”, which has reached over 15 countries.
It engages in research and advocacy too, by developing policy recommendations on pressing social issues and holds global youth consultations to gather perspectives and strengthen its proposed solutions.
