Kindness Without Borders: Support Rohingya refugee families

The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has led to great uncertainty around the world. Our daily lives have been upended. Yet, our experiences during this outbreak are not the same. The plight of many vulnerable people has been thrown into sharp relief during this difficult period, and refugees are one such group.

This June, Advocates for Refugees - SG (AFR-SG) is kicking off its annual Refugee Awareness Week (RAW) in conjunction with World Refugee Day, with the theme #WhyBorder. As part of our line-up of activities that shed light on the perception and effects of borders, we have launched this fundraising initiative on behalf of Cahaya Surya Bakti (CSB), a registered Malaysian Society that has established three schools for Rohingya refugee youth and children in the state of Johor.

There are 101,010 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. With limited resources, opportunities and no safety net, they are confronted daily with the loss of livelihoods and difficulties in supporting their families due to the current Movement Control Order (MCO). When MCO is lifted, it is imperative that the students return to school to continue their education instead of helping their families make up for lost income during MCO. To help these refugee families get back on their feet, we aim to raise S$ 3,500, which will cover the costs of basic food, educational materials, transport and fees.

Let us look beyond our own discomforts during these exceptional times and extend a hand to the Rohingya refugee community just across our borders. Your generosity will help all 180 students of CSB’s schools and their families continue believing in a better future.

#WhyBorder is a digital instalment of Refugee Awareness Week (RAW), an annual flagship event organised by Advocates For Refugees - SG (AFR-SG), to commemorate World Refugee Day every 20 June. Each year, AFR-SG organises RAW around a different theme. This year, the campaign theme for RAW 2020 is Why Border.

“It doesn’t affect me, why should I bother?”

As of 2019, an estimated 71 million people have been forcibly displaced globally. Maybe we think that they belong to another country’s problems. But do borders limit our understanding of human rights or humanity: should one not be bothered by another’s plight because she/he is not one’s kin or fellow citizen?

Join us at RAW 2020, as we contemplate the following questions: Why bother? #Whyborder?
facebook.com/rawbyafrsg/

Advocates For Refugees - SG (AFR-SG) is a ground-up, volunteer-led movement working for the cause of refugees and forced migration in our region and beyond since 2016.

Our areas of focus include awareness campaigns, advocacy and legal research and partnerships to support refugee communities in the region.

As of September 2018, AFR-SG is a Member Organisation of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN). Find out more about AFR-SG: afr-sg.com/

Cahaya Surya Bakti (CSB) is a registered Malaysian Society founded with the vision of providing community-based support and assistance to the refugee population in the state of Johor, Malaysia.Since 2013, CSB has successfully established 3 schools for refugee children and teenagers located in the areas of Kempas, Kluang and Pekan Nanas. In total, CSB oversees the education of 180 students in Johor.

At the heart of CSB is its relationship with the refugee community living in Johor, especially the vulnerable Rohingya population. Schools and learning centres are so much more than a safe space to learn - they are a window into the day-to-day struggles of fragile communities. They provide opportunities to develop and rebuild communities. In addition to education, CSB provides a variety of programs to empower and build a resilient refugee community. In situations like Covid-19, refugees have no safety. CSB and our generous supporters become that much needed safety net.

Here’s a peek into CSB’s efforts during this outbreak: stories.ourbetterworld.org/a-day-in-covid-19-/index.html

Learn more about CSB: cahayasurya.org/