An Invaluable Lesson in Empathy
Our Foundation students participated in a charity drive followed by a visit to Amitabha Orphanage Malaysia in November 2023.
14 December 2023
The May 2022/2023 cohort of Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia’s (NUMed) Foundation in Biological and Biomedical Sciences programme embarked on a charity drive followed by a visit to Amitabha Orphanage Malaysia in November 2023. The event was conceived to create a platform for the Foundation students to forge friendships and strengthen bonds among themselves, as well as cultivating new bonds with the residents of the orphanage.
The charity drive saw the students collecting several hundred ringgit as well as toys and clothes for the children at the orphanage. However, the key highlight was the visit to the orphanage on 17 November by 22 FIS students and a lecturer in charge.
Three categories of activities were planned out based on the ages of the children. The youngest ones enjoyed painting and reading activities, while fun games like musical chairs and an indoor treasure hunt were executed among the primary school children. The secondary school students, on the other hand, were given a dinosaur puzzle challenge and tower-building competition to enhance their creativity and teamwork, with the latter employing limited resources, namely chopsticks and masking tape, in an attempt to build the tallest and most stable tower within a set time frame.
According to Ms Nurul Atiah Iylia Mohd Ariff Krishnan, the interaction with the children was very impactful. “Although this was the first time the Foundation students were visiting the orphanage, the chemistry was immediate. The children received us with open arms. They definitely opened our eyes and showed us that love is the only thing that matters.”
Lan Tian Zhao, the Chairperson of the event, remarked, ”Organising the orphanage visit was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. The visit not only offered support to the orphanage but also enriched our lives as students. It was inspiring to see my peers connect with the children. This experience has been one of the most valuable aspects of our educational journey, and I hope that more community outreach events can be organised to provide more help for people in need.”
His classmate and fellow participant concurred, “As students, we often get caught up in our academic pursuits and forget about the world around us. The visit to the orphanage was a wake-up call to the realities and challenges others face. It not only brought smiles to their faces but also filled our hearts with gratitude and a sense of responsibility towards society.”
The management of Amitabha Orphanage Malaysia expressed their gratitude to the FIS students for spending time with the children, complimenting them for their attentiveness, especially in identifying the needs of the children when planning the activities.
