Volunteering for a charity can be a hit or miss affair as some of us have discovered but a group of UM students who recently volunteered at Reading Station have found the experience both enlightening and unforgettable.

Nur Ashikin Abdullah Sani said that the experience she gained from participating in the volunteer process was "indescribable". "It was eye opening for me to see the hope and happiness shining through the children's eyes when they saw us, that was truly beautiful. It made me realize how fortunate I am to be raised in an environment where my families supported me and there was no barriers between me and my dreams." She added that RS' program helps poor children understand that it's okay to be children, it's okay to have fun and discover the beautiful world of knowledge. I hope that this program will attract more support and volunteers to help out these children and families in need. PWP initiated it, it's up to us to see it through."

Aneesa Aldous Mohamed found the experience at Reading Station, USJ 1 on the 8th of May 2016 a truly rewarding one. Nervous at first, she expected the children to be playful and might not be able to focus on the activities planned. "Surprisingly, they exceeded my expectations, they were cooperative and very eager to participate in the activities planned. I feel RS is a great opportunity for them to gain more knowledge as well as train them to become active in a community." It was a great opportunity for me to help inspire them to read and learn English.

I am thankful for this experience as it made me realise different people with different backgrounds have less opportunities to study and although I grew up in Subang Jaya, I never knew there were really poor people in this area. I was shocked that the children had to live in such conditions.

I'm amazed with PWP and it's social coordinator Ms. Jaya determination to educate the children and encourage them to attend classes. I also realize the importance and responsibilities of the community to step out to help educate and guide these children by volunteering. I hope that the activities we did had an impact and would help the children in the long run," she added.

Anyone keen to help out at Reading Station do contact Jaya at 019 - 233 1730 (9am - 5pm) for inquiries .

Promoting Reading Station

Reading Station, a community corner designed to reach out to poor kids in Angsana low cost flats Subang Mewah Subang Jaya is now a reality.

Here is a place where kids can come to learn to read and communicate in English, share their views, and most importantly grow in the love of the language.

Since December 2015 the Reading Station opened its doors to the youngsters every (Tuesday) for reading purposes only . Despite the small numberof volunteers in the Reading Station, the kids are beginning to embrace the concept, the environment and , the culture designed to inculcate a love for reading.

Their keenness induced PWP open the premises on Sundays too where the kids can discover the joys of reading, drama, music and songs, /dance, as well as arts and crafts.

PWP Social Coordinator, Jayapratha together with Operations Manager, Adrian Ong stepped up the exposure by giving out flyers to the many residents at Angsana Flats in hopes of encouraging them to turn up for Sunday classes. In the process, PWP discovered that the parents are excited. They expressed their desire for their kids to learn ,to achieve their fullest potential and not waste time watching TV or grow wild on the streets.

Since many of these parents can’t afford to send their children for tuition or to the public library. Reading Station is now the nearest community library for them.

On Sundays the hours are from 2pm – 3pm for the Singing /Dancing/Drama/Story Telling, followed by Arts and Crafts from 3pm to 4pm. When the children were asked what they really liked on the first day of orientation, one kid said “lukis!” (drawing) another said “menari” (dancing). When asked what they want to be when they grow up , one said “fashion designer!” another “teacher!” “engineer!”so on. What it shows is that these kids have the same big dreams as their urban counterparts.

What Reading Station needs now are truly dedicated and keen volunteers willing to share their time and skills on Sundays. What’s lovely is the PWP has started to receive callsand queries from some folks and this is a positive sign indeed. Nevertheless we need people willing to commit their Sundays and be rostered to help out as helpers to break the vicious cycle of poverty by inspiring a whole new generation of English language and creative youngsters of the future. Together we can make Reading Station a catalyst for success in Malaysia.

For more info call:Jaya.B @ 019 - 233 1730 (9am - 5pm)