1. A Rotary Club of Bukit Kiara Sunrise Project
Communication Release
CR 201002-0004
Feb2010
The REF Education Assistance Award
short, the fund aims to support the education of
youths of age 15-19 from lower income families,
currently in upper secondary school or in a
vocational training programme. Says President
Frances Po, “Within this age group, the
opportunities for financial aid are very limited. The
fund aims to nurture and develop the students into
becoming useful members of society by providing
them with education opportunities, leadership
training and values education. The vision of the
REF is to make a positive difference to young lives
by helping those who want to help themselves, and
thus providing them with a better start to a better
life.”
Sasmitha, Darshinii, Yu Xin and Amirul receiving their
Awards at the REF launch
Sunday, 7Feb2010 – Rotarians Dr
Kong Voon Sin, Chin Teng Yoong,
Niklas Keisu and Dr Yee Yoke Leong
together with Rotary friends and volunteers
Mohan G and Gina Chan were at hand on a
Sunday afternoon to interview three potential
candidates from the lower income community of
Kampung Medan (off Old Klang Road) about 20 km
from Kuala Lumpur city centre. The students, all
from SMK Taman Medan school, were already
waiting at the school gates when the Rotarians and nd
volunteers arrived at around 4 pm. The Rotary club Kasturi (2 left) receiving her award from (L-R) Rtn Gaury,
President Frances and Dr Kong
of Bukit Kiara Sunrise (RCBKS), RI District 3300
Malaysia, recently launched its education fund. The Education Assistance Awards (EAA)
Known as the RCBKS Education Fund or REF for programme is one of the main pillars of the REF. It
is a 1-5 year financial assistance programme that
aims to provide school uniforms, books, stationery,
canteen food and transport. The financial
assistance programme was developed by the
“…Are we optimizing our Rotary club as a culmination of eighteen years of
resources? Are we using our time community service. “We have been a good Rotary
club over the years. We asked ourselves, ‘Are we
and financial resources optimizing our resources? Are we using our time
effectively? Can we do a bit better and financial resources effectively? Can we do a
bit better than what we’ve been doing to date? The
than what we’ve been doing to answer is – Yes!” says Dr Kong, subcommittee
date? The answer is – Yes!” chairman of REF Awards and Selection.

2.
nd
Awardee Darshinii and Interactor Shiva and her Rotary Awardee Yu Xin (2 right) with (L-R) Rotarians Angie Ng,
family helping out at a Rotary service project CY Fong and James Cheong at a Rotary service project
Rotarians typically pick a Sunday afternoon to The REF requires an awardee to demonstrate that
conduct the interviews with the student and their he (or she) is prepared to help himself. Seeing the
families. For this day’s interview session, the students waiting eagerly for their interviewers at
Rotarians and volunteers were divided into two the school gates without their parents is a good
groups to conduct the interviews with the students sign that they are prepared to take the action to
and to visit their families and homes. Dr Yee, help themselves.
Mohan G and Gina were assigned to interview
Mohamad Sahdan. The candidate led the visitors to Sahdan lives in a modest but clean flat. His father
his home, a low cost flat situated within a ten minute is an electrician and his mother is a homemaker.
walk from the school. Sahdan lives with his parents The family income falls within the EAA
and three other siblings. The students were referred requirements. On this Sunday, Sahdan’s father is
to the Rotary club via school principal Datin Khairiah busy working on a project earning some extra
Bahari and the contact teacher Mdm Ranjit Kaur income for the family. Sahdan’s mother says that
who is assigned to help the Rotarians identify the they do not own the flat but rents it from her
needy students. husband’s employer for a rental that consumes
about a third of the family’s gross monthly income.
Candidate Shahdan (right) and his Family Sahdan (right) being interviewed by Dr Yee and volunteer
Mohan G

3. Sahdan is the eldest in the family of three boys and
a girl. He receives no financial assistance from the
government or the school as the family income,
although modest is not low enough to receive
assistance which generally requires an income
below RM1000. Sahdan is in Form 5 and is an
above average student who is first in his class and
obtained four As in the Form 3 government exams
(PMR) two years ago. He would like to have some
after school tuition but the family cannot afford the
cost currently. Sahdan’s ambition is to be an
accountant.
Sahdan’s family does not own a computer at home Sahdan’s low cost flat complex
and relies, when he can, on the local internet café to
do whatever computing work he needs to. The The process of identifying a student, interviewing
typical cost of usage at the internet café is RM2 per and subsequently mentoring and nurturing him is a
hour. time consuming one and requires the work of a
REF Education Assistance Award (EAA) What are the Post-Award Requirements?
The objective of the EAA programme is to assist Awardees are given financial assistance
students stay in full time education by providing amounting to about RM150 a month renewable
them with financial assistance. The programme annually. The REF requires the awardees to:
works closely with the REF Youth Mentorship  Show continued progress in academic
Programme (YMP) where mentors are assigned results
to awardees to provide guidance and counseling  Provide access to school results
to enable them to achieve academic success and (academic and non-academic), e.g. school
be useful members of society. report card
 Meet with REF mentor/s regularly
 Undergo an annual progress review for
What are the Prerequisites? the purpose of renewal of the award
Potential candidates for the EAA are required to:  Document monthly how the award is being
 Have a family gross income <RM2000 spent
 Have a recommendation from his/her  Attend REF activities such as camps,
school teacher and principal workshops and seminars for student
 Demonstrate a willingness to “help himself” development, and Rotary projects, esp.
– e.g. possess good grades but not on community service when requested
necessarily straight As
 Write an essay on “My Dream” The EAA supports the main objectives of the
 Provide an estimate of monthly personal REF which are to:
expenses  Assist students stay in full time education
 Provide a copy of his school report card and and provide them with access to
government examination appropriate “life skills” training
(UPSR/PMR/SPM) results opportunities
 Provide a copy of his national registration  Provide students and their families with a
identification card (NRIC) network of opportunities so as to expose
 Provide a passport-sized photograph them to a range of career choices.
 Completed a set of EAA application forms  Develop students to their full potential by
helping them “be the best they can be”
Besides the above, the candidate will also be  Nurture students into good citizens who
interviewed at his home by an REF team. will in time involve themselves in activities
for the betterment of their own
communities

4. and seminars that may be organized by the REF
to provide further opportunities for the student to
develop himself. In particular, the student will
also be invited to participate in some of the
community service projects undertaken by the
Rotary club to expose him to volunteerism.
“…Basically the question is
this: ‘In our service to the
Dr Kong interviewing awardee Pui Yee community, are we doing all we
can within our abilities?’ The
number of Rotarians and volunteers. Due to its
modest fund size, the REF has not opted to work of the REF is well within
advertise for candidates and has chosen instead to our abilities as Rotarians.”
source them through referrals from school teachers
and personal contacts. As a result, the REF team
has been speaking with a number of schools and
shelter homes for potential candidates.
Once a student has been identified, besides the
referral from the school teacher and an
endorsement from the school principal, the REF
team will pay a visit to the student’s home and meet
members of his family to gain an appreciation of the
environment surrounding the student. Through this
process, the REF hopes to identify bona fide
deserving cases to receive assistance.
If the student is approved for the award, a mentor (a Awardees Thanaletchumi (left) and Kasturi
Rotarian or volunteer) will be assigned to the
student. If the student continues to make progress To date, the REF has approved and financed
academically in school, he can expect to receive the nine awardees. In the REF, the Rotary Club of
financial assistance until he is in Form 6 (typically Bukit Kiara Sunrise believes it has found a very
19 years old). During the term of the award, the worthy, if not the ideal service project. “We can
student will be visited by his mentor at least once in be more effective and at the same time not be
two months to assess his progress and the mentor over-stretching ourselves. The important
will conduct an annual progress review with the consideration here is not to try to be all things to
student. Besides this, the mentor’s role is generally all people. Basically the question is this: ‘In our
to provide support for the student, particularly in the service to the community, are we doing all we
areas of self improvement and career guidance. can within our abilities?’ The work of the REF is
The student is also encouraged to document his well within our abilities as Rotarians,” says Dr
monthly expenses and to attend camps, workshops Yee, Chairman of the REF.
The RCBKS Education Fund was officially launched on 14Nov2009 as a project of the Rotary Club of
Bukit Kiara Sunrise. The objective of the fund is to support the development of youths of age 15-19 from
lower income families, who desire to “help themselves” become useful members of society, by providing
them with education opportunities, leadership training, values education and mentorship, putting them on
the start of the road to a better life. For more information contact ylyee@pc.jaring.my