Helping hands raise people up

Thrive Well managing director Ellisha Othman and Amalina at an event.

NATIONAL Day has always been one of Malaysia’s most important celebrations.

It signifies the birth of a free country, where Malaysians have a say in building a better future not just for themselves but also for the generations to come.

However, with independence comes braving through adversities as well.

With the Covid-19 pandemic being a worldwide issue, Malaysians have had to rely on each other in order to persevere through the complicated economic situation and looming uncertainties.

REAL School Cheras Campus counsellor Pritam Kaur believes that Merdeka is a reminder of the nation’s rich diversity.

“It’s a reminder and celebration of how far we’ve come as a nation.

“Being an individual who carries out my own charity projects or random acts of kindness, I have always strived to reach out and help those in need by incorporating thorough diversity in terms of race and gender.

“Acknowledging the spirit of Merdeka is about celebrating all of us in equality,” said Pritam, who has always tried to give back to anyone in need of help, be it an orphanage or the homeless.

She would counsel them and provide them with basic needs, encouraging them to stand up on their feet again.

Pritam has been doing this for 20 years now. It all started when a girl aged about six came to her table one day while she was eating lunch.

Pritam thought she wanted money and took out some cash to give her, but the girl said she just wanted to eat and that her mother had not eaten either.

Pritam and educator Serene providing food, masks and sanitisers to the needy in Cheras.

Soon, she found out that the girl’s mother was a single mother who went around begging to survive after her husband left her.

“That’s the day I came home and realised I had a calling to serve the needy,” she said.

All projects and random acts of kindness initiatives are organised by her along with good friends and ex-students who volunteer to help out.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Pritam organised many charity projects such as providing food and gifts for and playing games with children from various orphanages like Chrestus Home and Rainbow Home, along with donating sanitisers to construction and foreign workers.

One example of her good deeds was when she and fellow volunteer Serene Sidhu, who is also an educator, worked together to hand out food, masks and sanitisers to the needy in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, on May 28.

“The main challenge I have faced in contributing to society is the strain of finances,” she said.

“All the aid that goes to the beneficiaries of my projects is 10% of my salary and my extra savings.”

Pritam voiced her appreciation to those who contributed to her projects, saying that they had been a great help.

To extend her reach to the people, she would target small groups of beneficiaries and carry out projects to ensure that they receive at least some help.

And she intends to continue with her random acts of kindness despite the financial constraints.

Furthermore, she has many more ideas to help Malaysians and is taking it one step at a time.

“My only hope for fellow Malaysians, now and in the future, would be to never stop showing up for anyone who is in need.

“We are all facing trying times regardless of race, age and gender so we need each other to sustain the independence of our country.

“Let us cherish and celebrate the fact that we are Malaysians who have done well in the past 65 years and that each one of us has a special role to play in making Malaysia a better place,” said Pritam.

For a great cause

Also working to preserve Malaysia’s spirit of independence is Thrive Well, a community mental health social enterprise aimed at building resilience within communities in a sustainable manner.

It aims to improve mental health access to high-risk individuals, communities and organisations.

“Merdeka means freedom and independence to thrive so that each individual can reach their greatest potential.

“This is done through the liberation of the mind, body and spirit from the oppression of external factors and harsh internal criticism,” said Thrive Well Strategy and Advocacy head Amalina Davis.

Thrive Well has contributed to Malaysia by recognising the socio-economic determinants of mental health and integrating the Trauma-Informed Care approach in its clinical services, advocacy initiatives, research projects and community development efforts.

The pandemic has brought about rapid misinformation on mental health where many pseudo practitioners have emerged, offering advice that has not been scientifically proven.

As a mental health organisation, correcting misinformation has been as challenging as fighting the stigma against mental illnesses.

Thrive Well also has over 40 partners including People’s Housing Programme (PPR) communities, schools, universities, media channels, companies, organisations and coalitions to provide communities with economic empowerment.

Thrive Well’s biggest project has been the Keluarga Akrab Mencapai Impian (Kami) programme where it implemented mental healthcare amongst Klang Valley’s B40 groups.

“Children, adolescents and parents were taught emotional regulation, stress management and healthy communication through Kami.

“Since 2018, over 1,000 hours of community projects have reached over 830 participants across five PPR communities,” said Thrive Well community development director Cindy Chew Mei Lien.

Thrive Well aims to serve the needy within front-line professionals of various industries such as healthcare, education and customer-oriented services throughout this year to better support the mental health of Malaysians.

“When society demands better access to mental healthcare, it will hopefully pave the way towards sustainable systemic changes for all levels of society,” said Amalina.