The Picha Project Shares How to Empower Refugees in Malaysia

March 7, 2018

Students from INTI International University (IIU) had an engaging evening with the co-founders of the Picha Project, Suzanne Ling and Lee Swee Lin as they learned how to give back to the community by being entrepreneurial.

 

The Picha Project is a social enterprise that helps the refugee community in Malaysia by utilising the existing cooking skills of refugee families as part of a food catering business. Customers get to taste authentic traditional cuisine from different cultures and countries while helping to support these families in need. Stories of the families who prepared the food are also featured on the meal box to create awareness of the issues facing refugees in Malaysia, so that customers can also help in other areas.

Suzanne and Swee Lin shared how they embarked on the Picha Project in 2016 to raise awareness on the plight of refugees in the country, as most are unable to gain lawful employment and have families to raise. The co-founders also had a short activity to spur students to create a social enterprise involving current issues such as animal welfare and domestic abuse.

 

At the end of the sharing session, the students were inspired to think outside the box, to be proactive and to address current issues prevalent in today’s society. The next social enterprise hero in the future could be an INTIan!