Spotlight On: Outreach
The past two months have been a busy time for the Outreach Programme at Marlborough College Malaysia, with charity sleepovers, food drives and fundraising all taking place. Outreach is an essential part of life at MCM, where we believe our pupils can really make a difference to those less fortunate with their generosity of spirit and creative charity ideas. The key element of Outreach at MCM is the hands-on experience our pupils have. They are able to generate new ideas of how they can give their time to aid those in need, and are able to build relationships with our charities, truly understanding what philanthropy is all about.
Starting in January, Outreach ran a sleepover for 36 Shell and Hundred pupils, with the primary objective to learn more about the struggles homeless people may face such as not having shelter, having limited/non-nutritious food and having unequal opportunities. The sleepover saw pupils sleeping outside on the College grounds and cooking their own food on camping stoves to raise awareness for the homeless charities the College supports.
Throughout January, donations for Kechara Soup Kitchen were in full swing. Pupils from throughout the College were encouraged to donate any food, or toiletries for Kechara, a charity that supports homeless people and people living in poverty. The results from this food drive were beyond impressive, and truly shows the generosity of our pupils. Over 150kg of rice, and 75 litres of vegetable oil, too many toothbrushes to count and an endless supply of canned goods have been donated. The food will go to help run Kechara’s soup kitchen and will also be given to those in our local community who are most in need.
The most recent Outreach endeavour aims to help the victims in Turkey and Syria who have been affected by the 6th February earthquake. Raising and Giving Society pupils sold black ribbons to raise money for Mobile Medics International, a charity which sends medical staff out to areas of need to provide emergency aid, and – with the help of some incredibly generous additional donations from parents, students & staff – the College raised RM7,362.70. With another donation drive in full swing to support the victims of the recent floods in Johor, we are hoping to make an equally significant difference to those in our local community too.
These individual endeavours have truly created an Outreach programme that makes a difference to the lives of those who are struggling, either through the direct provision of goods such as food or toiletries, to donating money to charities who are able to do direct work on the ground. Our pupils, though generous with their possessions, are equally so with their time. Pupils don’t just give, but understand the impact and embrace the habit of philanthropy which is what Outreach is truly about. Thank you to all who have donated or helped with the various Outreach projects throughout 2023 and we look forward to seeing the new Outreach initiatives throughout the rest of the year.
