COR’s Partnership with Teach For Malaysia
Tanya Ling Bell, International Content Marketing Manager COR HQ
Date Published
Estimated reading time
5–7 minutes
The path to empowerment is rarely one taken alone. But in East Malaysia where resource desolation and political isolation exist, how are non-governmental organizations expected to survive? It is only through mutual support and collaboration may we stand a chance in achieving our common goal for educational reform.
With this sentiment in mind, Calls Over Ridges is proud to announce a breakthrough partnership with Teach For Malaysia, a longstanding NGO that trains educational leaders through a paid full-time 2-year fellowship program.
From February until May this year, Calls Over Ridges Malaysia has been hosting two interns on a 3-month externship, Shermaine Julang James, an indigenous Orang Asal, and Febryani Fallensia Lusiana Wadipalapa (also known as Feby) of Sabahan-Indonesian heritage.
Born and raised in Sabah, both Shermaine and Feby have returned to Kota Kinabalu to lend their hands and insight to COR’s projects at King’s Guidance and Resource Centre and El Shaddai Alamesra ALC.
A Commitment to Sabah
Speaking to Shermaine, the decision to collaborate with Calls Over Ridges was not an arbitrary one. Recommended by another fellow who was familiar with COR’s teacher training, the position seemed to align the stars for Shermaine.
“Initially, the reason why I wanted to work with Teach For Malaysia is because of what they’ve been doing in my state of Sabah,” she told us. “Sabah is the poorest state in Malaysia and has the lowest exam marks. I wanted to give back to my community, help them as much as I can.”
Shermaine, with a bachelor’s degree in Food Science from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), was tasked with evaluating the impact of an ongoing nutrition project on-site at Alamesra Alternative Learning Centre.
With the foundational infrastructure in place since last year – a newly constructed kitchen and canteen area, a secure ingredient supply chain, meal plans designed and chefs hired – internal analysis has been closely following the status of service operations.
However, after consulting with El Shaddai and the team, Shermaine began searching for the missing piece of the puzzle: interviews with the cooks and kitchen staff. And so, she set out to investigate the experience of chefs and children within the program.
As a result of her study, Shermaine discovered that chefs have limited experience in matching nutritional requirements with flavourful ingredients or preparation techniques. Thus, chefs needed additional training to enhance their culinary skills. What’s more, the study revealed just how much the children disliked peanuts but loved chicken. Ensuring meals are tasty is crucial to inspire lifelong healthy eating habits, so the chefs were notified to adjust accordingly.
Until the end of May, Shermaine will continue to monitor the project remotely and work with chefs to devise more meal plans. Although her time in the East was short, she reveals her intent to visit again in the summer and pick up new projects upon her eventual return: “My mission has never changed. I always tell people after the fellowship, I will go back to Sabah and serve my own people.”
nurturing the Potential in Others
Feby’s connection to the people of Sabah is similarly close. As an Indonesian passport holder, Feby explained how she struggled in her academic career when she was young. Currently, the Malaysian government does not allow mothers to transfer citizenship to their children. Therefore, Feby was not eligible to enrol in pre-university courses despite having exceptional grades in the district of Pitas. “I lost a lot of opportunities. At that time, I didn’t get any calls from universities. Sixth form, I didn’t get the call. For sixth form, the school should call, right? But they didn’t.”
Unable to realize her dreams of higher education, Feby felt hopeless as a teenager only 16 years old. Everything changed the moment one of her teachers took notice and mobilised her network to allow her to enrol. “In the end what she created, even from her words, everything it inspired me. I saw what she was doing, she wasn’t just talking, but acting on what she said.” Feby she owes much of her passion and motivation to this teacher, and likewise is committed to nurturing the potential of every student she encounters.
With an undergraduate degree in Education and a minor in Economics from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Feby was tasked with designing an assessment system for the launch of the library program at Grace Community Guidance Centre, an alternative learning centre established only a year prior.
Leaning into the responsibility, Feby redesigned the library program to better meet the diverse needs of students, creating a class schedule that included independent, guided, and exploratory reading sessions. In addition, she developed a survey for teachers to utilise as the project progressed. Feby showed us a detailed observation framework and student book she designed herself, stating, “I feel very proud. I think today is one of the proudest days of my life.”
“Buku Eksplorasi Ilmu” is a reading log designed by Feby to track progress and foster reflective learning. Photo: Tanya
Feby supports Teacher Osman in the management of the library and its reading sessions. Photo: Tanya
From now until the end of her externship in May, Feby will support the centre and monitor the program’s progress. After her fellowship, Feby hopes to operate her own community space – a shelter and school for marginalised communities – to enact what she has learned.
Interns not only strengthen our connection to the community but also bring fresh perspectives that inspire our strategy. However, we must admit that Shermaine and Feby have set an impressive new standard for interns. But don’t worry, as Feby advises our future interns, “Just relax. If Indra is there, everything will be alright.” And for the times that our Senior Project Officer Indra is not there, Shermaine also has another suggestion: “Enjoy the time. Don’t be too hard on yourself and learn as much as you can with the community that you’re serving.”
About the author
Tanya Ling Bell
Tanya is the International Content Marketing Manager at COR HQ
and is based in Taipei, Taiwan.
