The world of Tzu Chi June 2021 (Vol.135)

2021 • 06 18 eature The news shocked the nation. Police investigation revealed that the arson case was committed by seven junior students who had been expelled by the school for disciplinary issues. The motive of the crime was revenge—against students from the school who had ridiculed them—and they took the drastic way. According to Kamarul Zaman, who runs several religious schools in the country, when children receive no proper education and training in moral values, they may add to the statistics of social problems. “Education and training will enable these refugee children to lead a proper life ahead. If they do have the chance to go back to their homeland, they would be able to contribute to their own country; if they have to stay here, by equipping them with the basic means for survival, the chance of them causing social problem is greatly reduced. Education for the refugees promotes healthy engagement, and it is so important.” International partnerships and a global presence Besides the boarding school in Serdang, MyCARE is also entrusted by UNHCR to take over a religious day school in Kulai, Johor. Funded by MyCARE, the school provides education for 60 refugee children. MyCARE had also partnered with UNHCR on a two-year CBI project—an initiative that is aimed at providing monetary aid to refugees—across the east coast of the peninsular. As part of its role in the project, MyCARE helped reach out to refugees on the UNHCR list, assess their needs, and distribute cash to the needy. Although the project has ended, the NGO continues to reach out to these refugees and provide them some form of support. With their extensive work with refugees, MyCARE is now gaining a global presence, partnering with NGOs from 22 nations, to champion humanitarian aid to scores of refugees around the world. These nations include Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia. From February 2010 to February 2020, the amount of assistance given totalled RM130 million. Presently, MyCARE holds an office in Gaza. Its humanitarian work there has received recognition from the Palestinian Authority and Arab Medical Union. MyCARE was also audited by the United Nations Financial Action Task Force, and its work was acknowledged by Bank Negara Malaysia. When the Malaysian Government announced that the country would take in 3,000 Syrian refugees on humanitarian grounds, MyCARE and other NGOs helped to handle the arrival of the mass influx of refugees. MyCARE played its part by helping to identify and assess the status of the refugees, assisting in the placement of jobs and arranging their accommodation. As Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the operations of accepting the refugees were carried out under the status of “migrant workers”. One laudable initiative was the “HOPE 2019” exhibition which facilitated discussions on challenges of disasters and humanitarian aid, while encouraging the public to sign up as volunteers. This project, initiated by the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Research Centre of the