500 participants took part in UMP Charity Run for Palu Humanitarian Mission fund

By: SITI NUR AZWIN ZULKAPRI, CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIVISION

The Department of Student Affairs & Alumni (JHEPA), Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) organised a charity run in a move to raise funds for the Palu Humanitarian Mission in Indonesia which was badly hit by natural disaster.

It was an initiative organised together with UMP Consumer Student Movement (GPS) and Association of Chemical Engineering Students (CHEST) led by Ezwan Shah Mohd Nordin, who is also the Student Representative Council for Volunteerism and Community Service  exco member.

The run was held on February 23, 2019 and started at 7am. The run began at the Sports Complex, Gambang Campus and was flagged off by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs & Alumni), Professor Dato’ Dr. Yuserrie Zainuddin.

The run, which was opened to the public, was also aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle and produced students of healthy mind and body.

Programme Director, Nur Amira Shafiqa Ismail said the programme not only help to encourage public live a healthy lifestyle but also a means for participants to contribute to a good cause.

“We also get to introduce the university and its campus to outsiders as some runners are from different institutes such as from Pahang Matriculation College,” she said.

Ezwan said they managed to raise RM4,000 and the amount was channelled to the Palu Humanitarian Fund, recently launched by UMP Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Sri Dr. Daing Nasir Ibrahim.

To date, the fund has raised RM20,000 and the target is set at RM100,000. The amount is expected to be used to build houses for the victims so they can celebrate this year’s Hari Raya in new homes.

The mission is expected to commence from May 11 until May 16, the time when Muslims will be observing the fasting month.

The programme also received cooperation from Malaysia Muslim Welfare Fund Foundation (YDKMM) and Rumah Zakat, a non-governmental organisation from Indonesia which has the experience in dealing with victims of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunami and soil liquefaction.