Country’s first volunteering app launched by Malaysian Red Crescent Society
Malaysians can now easily register as volunteers with local non-government organisations (NGOs) thanks to the very first volunteer app launched by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS), MySukarela. A first of its kind in Malaysia, the app offers interested volunteers a new and simple way to assist organisations in need of voluntary services based on their preferred location and time. The platform will match volunteers to NGOs, corporations, and any community events throughout the nation.
The creation of MySukarela was built upon the success of The Malaysia Vaccine Support Volunteers (MyVAC) initiative – launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and MRCS in March 2021 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Ministry of Education, MyVAC has successfully garnered over 320,000 volunteers to support the COVID-19 vaccination drive. Through volunteer efforts, MRCS has successfully provided 35,000 doses of vaccine to the underserved community as well.
“The MyVAC initiative proved critical in providing much needed support to our frontliners throughout the pandemic,” said officiate Datuk Dr. Hishamshah Bin Mohd Ibrahim, Deputy Director General of Health (Research and Technical Support), Ministry of Health. “Today, the vaccination effort will focus largely on NGOs taking a leading role to support and run the outreach vaccination targeting the underserved community. I am excited to see the next iteration of this effort. I foresee the MySukarela app will not only allow Malaysians to continue their goodwill but also assist NGOs and relevant organisations in fulfilling their volunteering needs.”
Meanwhile, Datuk Wira Dr. Hj Bahari bin Datuk Abu Mansor, National Deputy Chairperson MRCS, said, “Voluntary service is one of the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, of which the MRCS is a proud member. It is for this reason that we have always sought to cultivate volunteerism through our initiatives, from assisting frontliners during vaccination to providing care kits and mental health support to those in need. With MySukarela, Malaysians now have access to a collaborative platform where the rakyat, NGOs and donors can all come together.”
The MySukarela app boasts attractive features for its users:
- Volunteers – registration, training by NGOs, event attendance, and collection of payment/certificates (if any)
- Hosts – collaboration with NGOs (event search and hosting, access, screening, etc.)
- Donors – direct collaboration with NGOs for donation
The app is now available for download in both the Apple and Google Play stores. With a registered account, users will be able to track their volunteer hours.
In addition, MRCS is collaborating with Yayasan Malaysian Humanitarian Coordination & Action Hub (Yayasan MATCH), to encourage NGOs to come onboard on the MySukarela platform and provide volunteers with more variations of humanitarian work. To further encourage and supplement the need for volunteers, MRCS also signed an MOU with AirAsia Academy to enable volunteers to have access to training and competency development prior to their deployment in any humanitarian mission.
