Happenings Around Us - 12 September 2016

[Saravanan Kandasamy]

Hi All,

Welcome to my Malaysian Indian's Bulletin Board (myMIBB). If you are receiving this email, then your email ID is listed in our mailing list. If you are wondering on what this initiative is all about, please view the frequently asked questions section at https://www.dropbox.com/s/itx1mdfackuky10/myMIBB_FAQ.txt

Let's see what we have for you today,

From myMIBB's Table

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I still have many emails yet to read. Do hang on a little more, I shall reply the soonest and include it in the next coming bulletin if relevant.

Community Driven Activity - The Right to Sight - Penang Volunteers Needed

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We will kick-start this program in Penang first for year 2016 and the eye screening activity will take place from 22-30 September 2016. The below is the final list of schools that will participate. SJK(T) Rajaji and SJK(T) Azad were not included in our program as a kind hearted NGO has already done an eye examination program for both the schools recently. 

School List

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1. SJK(T) Ladang Mayfield

2. SJK(T) Ladang Byram

3. SJK(T) Ladang Changkat

4. SJK(T) Ladang Sempah

5. SJK(T) Ladang Transkirian

Total Students = 495

We are now seeking for more volunteers to give us a hand to run this program. If you are in Penang and keen to help, kindly email Mogan at mogansin...@gmail.com and join the project briefing session as below. This will enable the volunteers to understand the roles and responsibilities during the program at the respective schools. 

Date  : 15-9-2016 (Thursday)

Venue : Restaurant Pelita/Nasi Kandar - Auto City Prai  

Time  : 7.00pm

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Background

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In 2014, myMIBB members took the lead to organize “The Right to Sight – An Eye Examination Program for Under-enrolled Tamil School Students” as a community driven initiative partnering with various organizations such as The Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital (THONEH) and APEX Club of Kuala Lumpur. myMIBB members with their family and friends planned, raised funds and executed the whole program as a unit of community. The mailing list was merely a facilitator encouraging active citizenship among the members. The Right of Sight was a successful program where it managed to screen 2218 poor Tamil School students and assisted 371 of them from 45 under-enrolled Tamil schools (consisting <100 students) from Selangor, Penang and Kedah to obtain spectacles. Several students whom were suspected having pathological eye problems due to glaucoma, cataract and etc. were referred for further treatment.

Photos:

Refer (Selangor) : https://picasaweb.google.com/106973734301484503108/TheRightToSightSelangor

Also  (Penang) : https://picasaweb.google.com/106973734301484503108/TheRightToSightPenang

Also  (Kedah) : https://picasaweb.google.com/106973734301484503108/TheRightToSightKedah

Plan for 2016

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Our above data raises a pertinent point --- More than 16% of students (371/2218) from the participating Tamil schools would have had vision problem without our intervention. This is worrisome as studies worldwide have pointed that the vision and the academic performance of students are inter-related. 

Refer: http://faculty.apec.umn.edu/pglewwe/documents/Chin_ey6.pdf

Thus it is important to ensure all students have good vision in order for them to excel well academically. A comprehensive eye examination program is needed for all Tamil School students, especially when we don’t have a national eye examination program in schools as we have the national dental program.

Due to the need, we plan to organize “The Right to Sight – An Eye Examination Program for Under-enrolled Tamil School Students” again for 2016. As our aim is for the community to sponsor spectacles only for the needy, often students in under-enrolled school come from financially strained family. Thus, as rule of thumb, any students prescribed to wear spectacles from these schools would be sponsored one pair of spectacles for free, contributed by the community. There are possibilities some of the target schools had already done an eye examination program organized by other good hearted organization, in such cases these schools will not be included in our list so we need not reinvent the wheel and can focus our resources holistically in schools that had not been covered. 

Objectives

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-To do eye examination for all students from Tamil School that has <100 students at their school’s premise.

-To assist poor Tamil School students whom had been prescribed to wear spectacles by optometrist by donating a pair spectacles, reducing the financial burden of the poor family.

-Motivating the students to do better academically with their improved vision.

-To exhibit the caring nature of the community assisting the less fortunate.

Target Group

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Under-enrolled Tamil Schools that has <100 students in the participating states.

Target States

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Selangor and Penang

Partner

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Apex Club of Kuala Lumpur and future participating NGOs/Optical Companies

Eye Examination

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To be done at the school premise and the type of tests will be decided by the participating certified optometrist. 

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Distress Email - Education

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Mogan shared with us another sad state of a family he visited recently whom direly need our help in Penang. Said to be a brilliant student with heart to help others but very unfortunate his father is unable to support him to pursue his education due to his condition. 

The Predicament

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The father used to be sole bread winner of the family of six and work in company many years ago however he left the company following friends to venture into multi level marketing business by selling products. It was fated when he involved in accident in 2005 which resulted his left knee crushed. Due to financial difficulties he refrains from going for further treatment in order to support all the school going children. Since then the father tried many jobs like driving taxi however it does not suit due to knee problem. He continues selling products for commission to support the family. As the children progress well in their studies the father unable to cover all the expenses but to depend from other family members. The situation became worst as the father started having heart problem recently which require continues medication. The father borrowed money from friends to cover the university registration fee for Thynesswaran amounting RM 2681. The father is helpless to support his son expenses in university.

Thynesswaran in Education

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Thynesswaran on the other hand excel in studies and he scored 8A’s in his SPM and did his matriculation in with CGPA of 3.96 and he was offered to study degree in Petroleum Engineering in University Technology Malaysia. He paid the registration fee using the money from his father who borrowed from his friends. Due to financial difficulties Tyneswaran in desperation and dilemma thinking of monthly expenses and other expenses while waiting for loan to be approved.

The Plan

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Mogan came up with a plan as he did for the other desperate students we came across recently.

1. To support food expenses at university – Monthly basis while waiting for loan to be approved

RM 300 X 6 months : RM 1800

2. To support miscellaneous expenses like clothes, shoe, bedsheet and other essential item to be used in university, purchase of engineering maths books, Photostat – RM 1000

Grand Total : RM 2800

Supporting Documents 

Refer: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tlm1yck9b0pr5jd/Distress_Education_Thynesswaran.pdf?

If you like to join to assist Thynesswaran, do email Mogan Sinniah at mogansin...@gmail.com and me at svan...@gmail.com 

Ok that's all from me.

Let's Shine.

rgds

Saravanan Kandasamy

myMIBB