A total of 40 youths have made the cut to be deployed to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on a volunteer mission under the MyCorps@South Asia programme.

The 40, comprising 15 men and 25 women, aged between 18 and 30, from different cultures and backgrounds, were selected out of 483 applicants, by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

MyCorps is a volunteering programme that aims to shape self and identity values in Malaysian youths through experiences, contributions and duties in helping others.

Volunteers had to undergo a filtering process and interviews before they can proceed to an intensive pre-departure training. The month-long training started on July 15 and will end on Aug 13 before volunteers are flown out to the respective countries on Aug 15.

The volunteers were full of excitement and enthusiasm during the MyCorps participants meet-and-greet at the Malaysia International Youth Centre today.

Muhammad Asyraf Fitri, 24, a volunteer from Perak who will be sent to Sri Lanka, said he is looking forward to helping the locals reconstruct their society.

“Due to a recent civil war, I want to focus on the wellbeing and development of the locals in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Asyraf said the programme has taught him the value of being selfless. He expressed his gratitude at being given the chance to serve the country.

Another volunteer, Chan Quan, from Sabah said that he is thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience to give back to the community.

“I was overwhelmed with emotion when I found out I was chosen as one of the volunteers; I could not believe my eyes when I saw my name on the list,” he said.

The 18-year-old, who will be helping Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, said he learned many things about humanitarian and volunteer work throughout the four weeks of pre-departure training.

“I want to empower the youth to provide a helping hand for society and share our love with others,” he added.

Sathiyakumari Poongawanam, who will be going to Sri Lanka, said she is proud and honoured to uphold Malaysia’s name while conducting humanitarian work.

“This is not about individual work but instead, team cooperation to make sure Malaysia is known for our volunteer work.

“I will be celebrating our National Day in a foreign country but my heart will always be here with the Malaysians,” said the 26-year-old, who is also a radio announcer at RTM’s Minnal FM said.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who attended the event, said it is crucial to let the world know that Malaysia is here to lend a helping hand, hence the reason that the programme was established.

“Through this programme, we are able to create a relationship and partnership with the government and NGOs in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,” he said.

Khairy also urged volunteers to uphold the MyCorps motto, which is ‘Changing Lives’.

“I want you (the volunteers) to not only change the lives of the people you help but also your own lives.

“I do not want this mission to be the greatest thing you have done in your life but I want this to be the first greatest thing you did,” he told the volunteers. (New Straits Times)