Proud Moment For Rumah Ilham Kids
Muhammad Azhadi and 41 other children and teenagers from Rumah Ilham were part of an intimate ceremony to celebrate the graduation of the home’s Form Five students and other residents who have attained significant accomplishments throughout the year.
According to Muhammad Azhadi, he will miss spending time with his juniors once he graduates from Rumah Ilham. “I feel truly blessed to have been part of the Rumah Ilham family since young and it feels surreal to have reached this level in my life. My friends and I come from underprivileged backgrounds and I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to complete my secondary education as well as acquiring essential leadership skills and knowledge during my time here at Rumah Ilham,” said Muhammad Azhadi who aspires to be an automotive engineer after SPM.
The graduation ceremony for the children and teenagers of Rumah Ilham was organised by Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB), as part of the Group’s “Make A Difference” (M.A.D.) project, in partnership with Leaderonomics, a social enterprise dedicated to transforming communities through leadership development.
The M.A.D. project empowers the Rumah Ilham children and teenagers with knowledge, tools and skills needed for them to devise effective solutions to real-world problems and develop their confidence and sense of independence through mentorship and nurturing practical skills.
F&NHB Corporate Affairs Manager, Cariessa Goh said that the graduation ceremony was a stepping stone for the Rumah Ilham children and teenagers to get out of their comfort zones and apply what they have learned in the real world.
“We have been with the kids since they were little and I am extremely proud and delighted to see how far they have come. Time certainly moves fast and I can see that the kids have become more mature throughout the years. They now have great abilities and confidence to plan and execute steps to achieve their goals and have a positive attitude when it comes to dealing with any problems or issues.
“I sincerely hope that the children and teenagers, especially the Form Five graduating students will continue to nurture their leadership capabilities as well as their critical thinking skills and share their knowledge and experience with the rest of the community. I strongly believe that they will become excellent leaders in the future, and have the bravery, patience and empathy to empower the next generation of change makers,” Goh added.
As the Form Five students are set to enter the real world, their younger peers from Form Four are more than ready to step up and take on the role and responsibilities of being Team Leaders in future leadership programmes.
Muhammad Danish Haikal Bin Nordin and Muhammad Hameerul Alif Bin Mohd Hisham, both 16, expressed their excitement to take up the challenge and to further enhance their leadership capabilities.
“The programmes under the M.A.D. project have given me the opportunity to unlock my leadership qualities and enabled me to rise to my fullest potential. Before joining the project, I was an extremely shy person and was nervous to speak in front of a crowd. However, as time passed by, I slowly began to gain the confidence to not only talk in front of people but also to engage them as well. This encouraged me to speak up and share ideas in school,” said Muhammad Danish.
Muhammad Hameerul Alif said that the leadership programmes have significantly influenced him to become more proactive in learning crucial leadership traits that can help him grow as a leader. “I aim to arm myself with as much knowledge and experience as possible so that I can become a more competent leader and help others who are in need to enact positive change in their lives,” he added.
Meanwhile, Datuk Hj Hasanuddin Ali, Chairman of Yayasan Anak-anak Yatim PTTDI voiced his gratitude towards F&NHB and Leaderonomics for their unwavering support and commitment in shaping the boys to become who they are today.
“Words can’t express my appreciation for F&NHB and Leaderonomics’ assistance throughout the years. Thanks to their efforts, Rumah Ilham has definitely lived up to its name, which means “Inspiration” in English. Through the M.A.D. project, the students do not see their life circumstances as obstacles but as opportunities for them to make something of themselves. I hope we can continue to work together to create a better future for the boys,” he added.
During the graduation ceremony, F&NHB and Leaderonomics conducted various interactive activities for the students to liven up the event. The activities included quizzes that showed how witty and smart the boys are, and a drawing session that saw the students expressing their creativity in illustrating their thoughts and best moments with their Form Five seniors. They later presented their drawings to the audience which was a perfect way to wrap up the event and a sweet goodbye that the seniors will appreciate, all their lives.
F&NHB’s relationship with Rumah Ilham began in 2009 when it built the ‘Sudut Iqra’ library for the children and have continued to support the home and the children ever since. F&NHB has invested more than RM135,000 in development programmes for the children since 2015 and look forward to providing continuous guidance to them.