#RedCampaign

Remember my previous post on the hope for social mobility and equality for all? Reflecting on my life lately has made me even more grateful of the chances I was offered - the opportunities to get good, quality education. I am nearing the halfway mark of my 6-years-long medical training now and many of my friends are graduating soon. As much as we dread to leave this Cambridge bubble and to face the real world, our predecessors told us to be excited about it! There are ample great opportunities out there, in the real world awaiting us.

You know how when we were young, how each of us spelled out our ambitions in our 'My ambition' 100 words 'essays'? How each of us wanted to be a doctor/lawyer/actor/banker? Remember when we were writing our secondary school essays, especially the always-super-patriotic BM essays, how we kept repeating we are 'the country's future leaders' in our essay without really knowing what it means to be tomorrow's leaders? We just wrote it in the conclusion of the essay because that's what our cikgu said and that's the trick so we can get high marks. Remember how during our JPA/government related organization scholarship interviews, how we 'vowed' in front of the interviewers to return to the country one day, serve the people and make a difference to our beloved Malaysia? 

Well, dude/dudettes - It is, finally, our generation's chance to make a difference. Most of us are the latest bunch fresh graduates, fresh from the oven, piping hot... the ones with so much energy, time and resources. We are the fortunate ones who manage to complete our tertiary education and to earn 4-figure salary as our starting salary. It is a progress for all in our nation, we believe. But is it really for all? If you care to look around, there are many people who are left behind as our nation progress (regardless of the picture the mainstream media painted that we are progressing/not progressing). Forget about the expensive after-school tuition classes we hate, there are many children in our own country who are still struggling to get good education. 1 out of 5 Malaysian children do not even complete their secondary education! Can you believe that?! Cause I can't! Reasons given were: It may be because of their family's situation, they are unable to focus in school; it may be because the lack of a conducive environment to incubate their curiosity and passion to learn; it may be because they are lacking resources like a pencil, pen, school uniform, shoes or...a good teacher to inspire them. 

We may not have the capacity to directly change their lives overnight or be at the frontline now, but we can definitely make a change by supporting the teachers who dedicate their energy and time to teach and inspire these little ones. YOU, can make a difference NOW NOW NOW by supporting the #RedCampaign! 

1. Take a red marker, write your ambition/profession on your palm 

2. Take a selfie (you pros!) 

3. Share on social media and tag 5 friends. 

4. Donate RM5 (or more) at http://redcampaign.my/ to support TeachforMalaysia! 

It's that easy! It's only 96p if you are donating via PayPal from the UK. 96p man...and it changes someone's life!

Like us, every child has the potential to be our nation's next great leader. He/she may be the one who would make our daily news something awe-inspiring, instead of our daily dose of comedy/joke; he/she may be the next great research scientist and Nobel prize winner; he/she may be the next Putlizer book prize winner; he/she may the next great entrepreneur; he/she may be the next Oscar prize winner! But he/she may just be silenced because of those reasons, those reasons that didn't seem to bother us at all - Education inequality. Supporting education for our younger ones can thus be the best investment you would ever make. Let's fight it together, you educated lot. :)