Lyna Mohamad
Acts of kindness come aplenty in the Sultanate, keeping alive the bergotong royong culture among the people of Brunei.
Twelve Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) students visited the Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER) Brunei EDGE Centre as a part of their training programme for their Discovery Year (DY) with the Society for Community Outreach and Training, Legislative Council Youth Outreach Team, and Green Brunei.
SMARTER Brunei Acting CEO Sharifah Adila Surya binti Malai Haji Abdullah said, “SMARTER Brunei is a family-run organisation providing services for autistic individuals and children.
“The public often have misconceptions about these individuals, so we are trying to get rid of their misconceptions by helping them engage more with these individuals.”
Sharifah Adila Surya also emphasised the use of the term ‘individuals with different ability’ instead of addressing them as individuals with special needs. She pointed out that what these individuals with different ability needs are basic human rights such as education and employment and not special needs.
The event last Saturday was followed by a cleaning campaign. In the afternoon, fun activities helped the children to be active and creative. The event aimed to enhance participants’ creativity, provide them a clean and safe environment and raise public awareness on the welfare of children with different ability.
UBD student Fazatil binti Harun said she gained a better understanding of the children’s behaviour by engaging with them during the sensory classes and circle time.
Legislative Council member and Co-founder/Community Engagement Director of Green Brunei Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari was also present.
This event was supported by the Wushu Federation of Brunei Darussalam and Green Brunei.
In a separate event, two groups of young interns from Green Brunei and Brunei Youth Council conducted an activity with the elderly last Saturday.
The first group visited a Kampong Pulaie house belonging to a 70-year-old woman who lives with her son and daughter. The seven youth volunteers helped clean the outdoor compound and provided the family with basic necessities such as rice, cleaning supplies and water.
The second group visited a Kampong Salambigar house belonging to a 72-year-old man under the support of Baitul Mal.
The volunteers helped clean the interior of the house and donated essentials, including a mattress and fans.
The visit ensured the elderly are well taken care of, have basic necessities and allowed the youth to spend time with the elderly.
Green Brunei aims to promote environmental sustainability through youth-led initiatives in the fields of education, conservation and advocacy, while Brunei Youth Council aims to unite all youth and welfare bodies in Brunei Darussalam into one council to promote economic, social, cultural, physical, mental and spiritual development of youth and instil a sense of national identity and a spirit of dedication, responsibility and usefulness.
Meanwhile, the Kampong Subok and Kampong Belimbing village consultative councils helped clean up the house of fire victim Tiah binti Haji Yussof recently.
Kampong Subok Village Head Lawi bin Haji Lamat and Kampong Belimbing Subok Acting Village Head Daud bin Jihan were also present.