LIFE has been difficult and challenging in this season of Covid-19. It has affected all of us in the way we do things while making social distancing, mask wearing, restrictions on group gatherings and more the norm. Social events, community projects, and social work have had to be postponed or cancelled. To continue social events, we seek another approach. We take social work and community projects online.  

l would like to share my experience on several community projects that I supervised at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia and I hope this will inspire more Malaysians to contribute to the community in spite of these trying times. During this lockdown period, our first-year undergraduate students on the Empower Programme initiated more than 40 online community projects on social media platforms such as Team Live, Instagram, Discord, Telegraph, etc. Their efforts were successful and the projects attracted many online participants. The following were some of their notable digital community projects.

Save Our Sea Turtles was a crowd-funding project led by our students in partnership with Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery. This project supported the increase of the turtle population by raising money to buy turtle eggs that were to be incubated and released back into the ocean. The main aim of Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery was to save as many endangered green sea turtle eggs hatched on the beaches along Chendor and Cherating in Pahang. Our students helped to raise RM2,506 in four days on Kitafund.com, channelling the funds to the hatchery.

Virtual Run was a race one could run at any location, at one’s own pace, outdoors or indoors on a treadmill. The purpose of this event was to create a healthier community during the MCO.  There were about 70 participants, including five senior citizens, who joined the virtual run and gave positive feedback about the event. 

Tips for Tab was a project aimed at supporting 10 underprivileged student from University College of Yayasan in Kuantan, Pahang, by fundraising using Kitafund.com. The objective was to present a Samsung TAB-A to 10 deserving students, who could use the tablets  to support them in their studies. Our students raised RM5,200 in four days on Kitafund.com.

A Helping Hand for SPM Students was a project to lend assistance to 200 of the exam candidates. The pandemic closed schools and postponed examinations. Knowing the importance of passing examinations for a better  future, our students gave tuition to SPM students from the B40 community. They tutored subjects such as Modern and Additional Mathematics via Microsoft Teams Live.  

To Our Heroes aimed to express our appreciation and gratitude to the frontline workers in Malaysia. The team collected “thank you” cards and words of appreciation from the public and put them in a video to show public gratitude for the sacrifices of frontline workers during the pandemic. The video was sent to five hospitals in the Klang Valley, to be viewed by frontline workers. This project had 250 participants. 

You can contribute to society by organising your own online community project. There are a variety of community projects that can be done on a social media platform. All it requires are your interest and willingness to participate. To start, gather friends or people with similar interest to form an online group or team. This group of people must share interest in addressing the same issues. Secondly, pick a capable leader and committee members. A good leader with experience is vital to steer the team to a successful conclusion of the project.

Furthermore, a leader also has to plan, hold discussions and meetings and fairly delegate the responsibilities. For projects that funding, I strongly recommend Kitafund.com, a fund-raising, crowd-funding platform that serves humanitarian needs and medical emergencies.

Despite lockdown 3.0 and trying times, the internet allows us to continue to spread kindness, interact with one another, and help one another. – June 25, 2021.

* Dr Lee J. Peter is assistant professor at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.