A special gift for children this New Year

This Chinese Lunar New Year, World Vision Malaysia is encouraging Malaysians to make a significant ang pow donation to its Education Fund.

The Ang pow is an ancient Chinese tradition that is still widely practised by Chinese people all over the world. It is a monetary gift presented in a red packet as a token of good wishes on auspicious occasions such as Chinese Lunar New Year and Chinese wedding dinners.

The ‘Ang pow’ for Education! campaign by World Vision Malaysia was launched in conjunction with the Lunar New Year and International Day of Education which falls on 24 January. The Education Fund aims to help children overcome learning barriers and challenges exacerbated by the recent pandemic.

Accessibility to education is one of the more devastating setbacks of COVID-19. More than 1.5 billion students and youths worldwide have been affected by school and university closures. COVID-19 has set back years of global progress in education, pushing more vulnerable children into child labour or child marriage.

In Malaysia, five million primary and secondary school students were affected in 10,000 schools across the country, including in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak, where many poor families live, primarily farmers and local Orang Asli who eke out a living in the jungle.

Prior to COVID-19, the world was already in the grip of a learning crisis, with nearly six out of every ten children in developing countries unable to read and comprehend a simple written story. At least 463 million remain cut off from education due to a lack of remote learning policies and equipment.

Poverty also creates a variety of barriers for children to overcome in order to learn, such as poor nutrition, a lack of school supplies, and inadequate educational facilities. A good education can help vulnerable children break the shackles of poverty. By going to school, children gain knowledge and skills that will give them a real head start in their lives and careers.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. A good education is the key to a bright future for many children. The Education Fund can give children access to quality education, provide them with school supplies and other educational facilities.” said Terry Leong, CEO of World Vision Malaysia.

Leong joined World Vision ten years ago as the head of its IT shared services centre in Kuala Lumpur, rising through the ranks to become CEO last year.

“An angpow for their education will truly go a long way and lasts beyond the festive period for many of the children we serve,” Leong added.

Rev Dr Robert Pierce founded World Vision in 1953 to meet the needs of Korea’s war orphans. The child sponsorship programme of the organisation now reaches thousands of children and their communities worldwide. Those interested can sponsor a child through World Vision and provide a boy or girl with education, proper nutrition, clean water, and other benefits. For more information, please visit worldvision.com.my.