SEJUTA BARAKAH RAMADAN: STUDENTS ENGAGE ORANG ASLI COMMUNITY IN GERIK

Gerik, Perak, 28 February 2026 - The Sejuta Barakah Ramadan programme was successfully carried out with the participation of the Orang Asli communities from Kampung Air Banun, Kampung Sungai Raba and Kampung Pulau Tujuh in Gerik, Perak, from 28 February to 1 March 2026.

The community-focused initiative, centred on welfare and strengthening social values, was the result of a strategic collaboration between Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Himpunan Lepasan Institusi Pendidikan Malaysia (HALUAN) Penang and Dewan Belia Perak.

The programme also focused on the distribution of necessities and the implementation of community activities with the Orang Asli residents as part of efforts to enliven the spirit of Ramadan while strengthening ties between university students and the local community.

A total of 20 students from USM and 10 representatives from Dewan Belia Perak were directly involved in the implementation of the programme, reflecting the students’ commitment to community service and rural development.

The official launch of the programme was officiated by Perak State Executive Council Member for Women Development, Family, Social Welfare, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Salbiah Mohamed.

Programme Director Ihtisyam Muhammad Abdul Harzad said the Sejuta Barakah Ramadan initiative was not only aimed at delivering aid but also served as a meaningful learning platform for students to better understand the realities faced by the Orang Asli community while nurturing social awareness and empathy.

“The close cooperation between the university, non-governmental organisations and state youth institutions demonstrates that strong synergy among various parties can produce meaningful and long-lasting impacts on local communities,” he said.

He added that the programme also served as a platform to strengthen humanitarian and spiritual values while shaping holistic students who possess a strong spirit of volunteerism and social awareness.

“This is in line with the university’s aspiration to produce impactful and visionary graduates,” he added.

Throughout the programme, two main modules were implemented, namely the Leadership and Spiritual Module as well as the Motivation Module.

On the first day, both modules were conducted in the afternoon through leadership and spiritual sessions with Orang Asli children, followed by a motivation session, iftar activities and the distribution of essential aid to instil the values of social responsibility and togetherness.

On the second day, participants travelled by boat to Kampung Pulau Tujuh to continue the programme through community engagement activities while encouraging the Orang Asli children to pursue education, in addition to distributing food aid to the villagers.

Also present at the programme were Penggawa of Desasiswa Jaya Lembaran Utama, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus, Hasliza Mat Saad; Vice President of HALUAN Penang, Abdul Rahhim Abdul Wahab; Tok Batin of Kampung Sungai Raba RPS Banun, Askee Ali; and Deputy Speaker 2 of Dewan Belia Perak, Malik Syam Mohamed Latiff.

Text: Nur Irsalina Khadafi (Vice President 2 MPDJLU)/Photo: JKE Media & Digital JLU