THE VOLUNTEERISM WARRIOR

By: Lee Leroy

Email: l33roy333@gmail.com

SINTOK, 28th March – Making positive changes is hoped by everyone, but not all tend to take action on those hopes; but Dhalvin Singh is one of a kind. A hospitality student and also a member of the Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar (MPP) of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Dhalvin has participated in numerous volunteering activities throughout his 4 semesters studying in UUM.

Time management is crucial for Dhalvin as he has to shift back and forth in his responsibilities as a degree student, a student representative and also a freelance volunteer. It was not easy for him but his passion to make positive changes has motivated Dhalvin into volunteering and doing good which have turned into his hobby.

Dhalvin started his first volunteering activity in UUM by teaching Mathematics and English to school children around Changlun and Sintok under a club named ‘PROKEM’. He participated in this programme from his first to third semester in UUM, teaching on every Tuesday of the academic week.

Some other major volunteering programmes participated by Dhalvin were IM4U, Soup Kitchen in Kuala Lumpur, Kindness Malaysia and the ‘Sabah Volunteering Mission by Yayasan Sukarelawan Siswa (YSS). All these events were participated by Dhalvin throughout his semester breaks.

In the interview with Dhalvin, he shared that the most memorable experience in volunteering that gave a huge impact to him was the ‘Sabah Volunteering Mission’ by YSS. He participated in this event during early January of 2018 and this two week long mission is located around 6 different villages in Sabah. The missions carried out includes the upgrading of facilities, children’s education and the transportation system of the area.

Dhalvin, along with 14 other volunteers had made drastic improvements to the facilities and infrastructures of the targeted villages. All improvements and changes were done at minimal cost.

Educational activities such as teaching the school children Mathematics and English were conducted at a scheduled basis. Major projects were also executed such as building a landfill and repairing the run-down roads of the villages.

“Intention” was highlighted by Dhalvin in why he is willing to sacrifice his free time in volunteering work. Thus, Dhalvin prioritizes genuine intentions and sincerity when signing up for volunteering work.

He also added that it is important to contribute creativity and ideas to effectively impact the well being of a community. Volunteers must posses specific skills and knowledge to be applied during their volunteering work in order to produce outstanding results for the community.

According to Dhalvin, actions taken for the greater good with the spirit of volunteerism has to be effective in the long run. Efforts taken to fix a problem should be focused on fixing it for good and a long term and not focused on just a short period of time.

An example given by Dhalvin was about ‘gotong-royong’ (cleaning up with everyone’s participation). Instead of having a ‘gotong-royong’ activity often, volunteers should prepare designated places to throw rubbish such as preparing dustbins and a rubbish collection system which serves as a long term solution.

Before ending the interview, Dhalvin left a strong and important message. “Volunteerism can start as just a small act of kindness or courtesy by simply just feeding a stray cat or cleaning up after you have eaten in a café.”