The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world like never before. Locally in Malaysia, our education arm was the most affected by the Movement Control Order (MCO) that started in mid-March. Yet in every crisis is an opportunity to rise above it, ElShaddai Centre quickly responded to the lockdown on hand and launched several creative solutions.
The Online Literacy Program is one of the new initiatives that birthed during the MCO period. It runs entirely online using the Zoom platform. Facilitators run classes with their respective small groups of around five students two weekday nights per week.
This program allows us opportunities to engage with two different groups of people
who previously did not have access to education.
Since June, the Online Literacy Program has impacted three different people groups coming from eight different communities in Selangor. We are currently in the middle of extending this program to the other states as communities from places like Alor Setar and Kuantan hear about this program and are interested to be a part of it.
We are also home-visiting students who are attending the online literacy classes. It allows us to build stronger and deeper relationships with new communities previously not engaged with ElShaddai Centre.
The Online Literacy Program creates a new and exciting mobilisation opportunity for ElShaddai Centre. Where volunteers were previously limited by locality, the limitation is now erased in the digital world. Throughout the week on different weekdays, we have volunteers coming from various places in Selangor, plus Singapore and Australia, to facilitate the classes.
We are truly thankful for the new ways to sow seeds of love and hope to different communities especially during this pandemic period.
