Juliet Chong shares some ways to make a difference in your community.

People from all walks of life volunteer for many different reasons. Apart from contributing their part to society, volunteering is also rewarding and can be challenging depending on the cause. Volunteering is a great way to further a cause, support an organization, and make a difference in your community.

It can also be an opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills. If you’d like to give something back to society (besides money), consider lending your time and talents to organizations that are important to you.

There are many different types of volunteering opportunities; from long-term regular commitments to one-off individual or group projects. Here are the five different ways you can help make a difference:

1. Helping the homeless in your community

Many locals and expats are privileged enough to spend their weekends on gastronomical expeditions at KL’s many eateries. For those who are homeless and poor however, having just two meals a day is an extravagance. One of the ways non-governmental organisations are doing their part to feed those in need is with a soup kitchen.

Many of KL’s soup kitchens started out as small organisations, run by students or housewives who wanted to play their part and help society. These soup kitchens then grew via word-of-mouth and soon, people from all walks of life can be seen volunteering to feed the poor and homeless.

Rain or shine, soup kitchen volunteers help to cook and pack food for some 400-700 people a night to be distributed to different areas of the city. There are also doctors, nurses and medical personnel that provide medical treatment. For example, volunteers with hair dressing skills help by setting up mobile hair salons to give those who can’t afford to visit a salon a proper haircut for free.

Here are some soup kitchens that you can check out:

• Kechara Soup Kitchen
• The Nasi Lemak Project
• Pertiwi
• Dapur Jalanan KL

2. Helping your furry friends

Pets that have been abandoned by their owners and strays that have been rescued off the streets need plenty of attention and care. If you are a pet lover, consider giving your time and love to caring for abandoned or abused animals. Animal welfare organizations are always in need of volunteers to protect defenseless animals and to alleviate their suffering.

There are many volunteer duties at an animal shelter including kennel cleaning, helping to prepare and serve meals to the animals, kennel guides (assisting the public when choosing an animal), socializing the animals, and general housekeeping duties as well as walking the dogs, bathing and grooming them.

Here are a couple of animal shelters where you can volunteer your time:

• LASS
• MIAR
• SPCA
• PAWS

Feeling adventurous? Try Zoo Negara’s volunteer programme to work with reptiles, amphibians, orang utans or even fish and birds. Also, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has many interesting projects you could sign up for.

3. Helping the refugee community in Malaysia

Malaysia has no legal or administrative frameworks in place to address the refugee situation. As such, refugees have no access to legal employment and their children do not have access to formal education. Healthcare facilities are accessible, but the cost of treatment make healthcare unaffordable to many refugees.

UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency of Malaysia recruits volunteers who want to provide services directly to refugees in the form of education, health services and welfare assistance. UNHCR requests for a minimum commitment of three months and a regular schedule of once a week.

Volunteer teachers for lessons in English, Math and Science are much required. Classes are held at refugee established community centres or in someone’s living room. The education received ensures that the children can quickly catch up as and when they get into their resettlement country.

Volunteers need to be 18 years or older, unless it is a special arrangement. To sign up, register here. A UNHCR Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch and try to find a placement as soon as possible in an area of your choice.

Bonus: UNHCR provides various trainings on behaviour management for the classroom. At the end of the trainings and your volunteer period, you will receive a certification for your attendance and volunteer efforts.

4. Building a home for the orang asli

Bring out the ‘Bob the Builder’ in you by volunteering to be part of a team to build a home in 3 – 4 days. There are many out there who are in need of a decent shelter to call home. Non-governmental organisations have been set up to raise awareness for this cause.

These organisations help underprivileged Malaysian communities such as the indigenous people of Malaysia, the Orang Asli, to put four walls and a roof over their heads. These organisations also help families by building new homes and extensions and help to renovate their current homes that are falling apart. Volunteers are essential to help keep costs down along with the sponsorships received from various corporations.

It is the hope and aim of these organisations to not just build homes for the Orang Asli, but to try to connect the villages to the city through relationships built between urban and rural people, through the activity of building homes.

Here are some organisations that are involved in building Orang Asli homes:

• Habitat For Humanity Malaysia
• EPIC Homes

5. Helping the children

Orphanages are often established as projects in response to the need to shelter and educate children who have been neglected and/or abused. As a volunteer at an orphanage, you will be very much involved in the lives of these children in educating them, playing with them and even providing a compassionate shoulder for them to turn to. You will also help in organising activities such as sports day, art and music classes, outings to the park, and so on.

Orphanages require long-term and short-term volunteers and are usually open to people of all ages. All you need is to have empathy for the neglected children and their current living situation.

Here are some orphanages that you can get involved with:

• Protect and Save The Children (P.S. The Children)
• Shelter Home for Children

More ways to contribute

Still looking for more ways to give back to society? Here are some other organisations that would appreciate contribution in any kind:

• Make A Wish Malaysia
• Malaysian Care
• Do Something Good

Homepage Highlight Photo credit: jason highway tan / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Read more:

• An Expat Tries to Make Sense of Malaysian Place Names
• Getting Involved with Charity: An Expat’s Tale
• Giving Back with Charity