The act of giving back could help you gain more in return.
THE virtuous act of volunteering your time has many benefits.
Some of it is surprising, like it could make you feel like you have more time lending to the notion that giving makes you wealthier.
It also has been dubbed as a new executive training ground as skill-based volunteering could help with sharpening skills that might give you a leg up in your career.
In line with the Taylor’sphere ecosystem of going beyond intelligence, two Taylor’s University academics understand that volunteering impacts community and can also help them grow.
According to senior lecturer of Bachelor of Social Sciences in Social Innovation and Change, Dr Wan Puspa Melati Wan Abdul Halim, the act of caring for others has been ingrained since young.
“Growing up, my clinical sociologist father would remind me that I should strive in my paid career, so I can help others without requesting for monetary return. So, I would say that to engage in these activities is quite natural for me, ” she said.
“My first proper volunteering experience was at a senior daycare centre in San Francisco, where I would help them with their daily activities.
“I was drawn to a Spanish-speaking lady named Anna. She only spoke Spanish, so I took the opportunity to learn some Spanish words just so I could talk to her more.
“One day I went home and found a note she slipped in my pocket saying that she appreciated me. Experiences like that really warms my heart and keeps me going, ” she said.
One of the many acts of kindness shown by Dr Melati (third from right) is her volunteer work training the hearing impaired community with performing arts skills.
Since then, she has aided in empowering single mothers for court cases, training the hearing impaired community with performing arts skills and organising monthly online discussion forum Spill the Tea with Dr Mel and Madam Affe whereby she offers advice and assistance to struggling youth and young adults.
Meanwhile, Taylor’s University’s School of Medicine senior lecturer and clinical specialist Dr Mohammad Jaweed knew his calling was to be a part of someone’s healing journey and his specialisation in surgery provided him the opportunity to serve underdeveloped nations.
In 2013, Dr Jaweed went on his first trip to Nairobi on a humanitarian mission.
When he was there, he was alarmed to find that 12 neurosurgeons are expected to serve a population of 40 million, with 10 of the specialists are based in Nairobi, while one is in Mambosa and another in Eldoret.
“This was the driving force of my journey to Kenya, to be part of a neurosurgeon team from the United States, where I stayed for three weeks.
“I was with the team for a week where we did a few brain and spinal surgeries before they went to Tanzania. I stayed on in Nairobi and volunteered at the Tigoni District Hospital, where I was one of the four doctors tending in the 200-bed infirmary, ” he said.
Dr Jaweed’s specialisation in surgery provided him the opportunity to serve underdeveloped nations.
He added that he once attended to a 94-year-old grandmother from the Kikuyu tribe, with severe infection of the palmar on the right hand, which caused compartment syndrome.
“As we prepped for her surgery, we were met with many shortages that hindered the process. It was frustrating in the beginning as we worked to ensure her safety, but we managed to pull through and save her digits.
“The experience taught me a valuable lesson of perseverance and helped me build on my leadership skills as I led the team to success, ” he said.
Furthermore, he also volunteers his time to share his medical experiences and expertise with junior doctors and medical students.
In 2019, he went on a mission to Afghanistan to teach and train surgical residents and junior specialists at the Ali-Abad Hospital in Kabul.
He was also fortunate to be given the platform to contribute to the exchanging of knowledge – two of which included his experience speaking at Kabul Medical University and University of Kandahar, the southern region of Afghanistan.
“Volunteering your time and knowledge for the underserved – regardless of race, religion and colour – is incredibly rewarding. I hope that my efforts today will be able to inspire the future generation of medical students and doctors and even the general public, to offer their services to those in need, ” said Dr Jaweed.
