WITH the goal of instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in the younger generation, 7-Eleven Malaysia recently teamed up with NGOHub to organise an entrepreneurship workshop for the children of Happy Neighbourhood (Jiran Ria) at Pangsapuri Enggang in Puchong.
Happy Neighbourhood’s community relations director Margaret Vani Simon started her community service at Kampung Pandan which provides shelter for children and senior citizens. With the support from friends and a dedicated funder to contribute food items, the Kampung Pandan home began functioning independently.
Simon’s attention then diverted to another community center which was in dire need of aid and assistance. She reached out to the community at Pangsapuri Enggang in Puchong and with the help of the children there and her assistant, turned a small 3-bedroom flat into a community center that nurtures close to 60 underprivileged kids.
The workshop started off with a briefing coordinated by the volunteers on how to build micro enterprises with the help of visual aids. The children were then divided into two groups and assigned to make a famous local ice dessert – known as ‘aiskrim Malaysia’, and prepare attractive marketing materials to promote the sale of the products.
The event ended with a delicious teatime spread that the children enjoyed with the volunteers. 7-Eleven Malaysia also distributed goodie bags that contain a variety of plush toys and snacks as tokens of appreciation for the participants’ hard work and creative efforts.
A thankful Simon said, “Many children here have dropped out of school early, while some have never even been to school. Hence, it is very encouraging to see the children here today actively participating in the workshop. I hope they will continue to practice their newfound entrepreneurial skills and be successful in the future.”
7-Eleven Malaysia’s general marketing manager Ronan Lee, said, “As marketers, we are pleased to share our knowledge and expertise with the very earnest group of children today. We hope that by instilling basic business knowledge in these young minds, they will be inspired to run their own successful businesses in the future.”
Those who wish to support Happy Neighbourhood in any way, may contact Simon at margaret.vani@gmail.com or call +6016-337 8607.
