Great Action non-profit

Greater Action

Greater Action is a young non-profit social organization based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and helps to improve the lives of 250 vulnerable refugee families from Afghanistan and Myanmar, via specific programs and partnerships.

With over 180,000 refugees seeking asylum in Malaysia, most of these refugees end up working long hours at large factories, at below-minimum wages just so their families don’t go hungry.

Now there’s light at the end of the tunnel as Greater Action is breaking this cycle by providing sustainable businesses that empower these refugees.

Kashke Bademjan

Vegetable samosa

Food, Art, Handicrafts, and some Greater Action

War, persecution, death and suffering. Oppressive conditions such as these have forced many to flee their countries with their families in tow, for a chance at a better life in a foreign land. Sadly, once there, many find they cannot obtain decent jobs, get access to healthcare or even send their kids to school. This is the heart-breaking reality of the countless refugees from Afghanistan and Myanmar who Julie Das, 49, works with at ‘Greater Action’, a non-profit she co-founded with Dr Shazwan Sahabudeen, a healthcare advisor.

Das and her team of volunteers watch over 250 refugee families, providing them with basic necessities, medical assistance as well as education for their kids, all through Greater Action. Asides from these initiatives, Greater Action is also equipping these refugees with the necessary skills they need so they can earn a living independently.

It’s really important to Greater Action that they build something sustainable, so it’s not just them feeding the refugee families so that the system not only helps those in need, but gives back to the community as well.

The vision is to create a dynamic community of self-reliant and skilled refugees that are self-sustainable, thanks to their skills training and education programs. Self-help is the ultimate aim.

The refugee community that Greater Action works with is based in the Bandar Baru Ampang neighbourhood.

Greater Action opened its first Greater Action Centre (GAC), also, located in Bandar Baru Ampang at the end of 2021. The aim of the centre is twofold

1) To foster Inclusion and Compassion by bridging the gap between the refugees and the ex-pats and locals in Malaysia 2) To foster Empowerment and Sustainability for the refugees over 16 years of age via activities around

- Skills Training - Computer literacy - English language skills for practical use Inclusion and Compassion The ex-pats and locals can participate in various ways at the centre via the following projects:

Greater Action Culinary

The Culinary project started with a chef who fled Afghanistan with her parents and now uses her earnings from the project to support her bedridden father. Both parents were very old and her mother passed away in Malaysia due to negligence and lack of funds to bring her to a doctor and the girl’s father is now bedridden. Now all the money she earns through her cooking goes towards settling her father’s monthly medical bills.

Currently, the project supports 4 women chefs and bakers and Greater Action hopes to include more if the orders increase.

a) Order for home delivery: Currently, 4 refugee women have been empowered via skills training to cook Authentic Afghan Food, French Goodies, Brownies, Cookies, Jams, Chutneys, Afghan Tea and more. The menu has a choice of Vegan, Vegetarian and Meat based dish

Each order is made fresh and since they only start prep once an order comes in, requires 24 hours advance notice.

b) Authentic Afghan Luncheon Experience You can take a journey to Afghanistan via authentic food made by the refugee women and laid out and plated on beautiful Afghan rugs at the Greater Action Centre. This is open via pre-booking for a group of 5-12 individuals.

c) High Tea Plan with friends & family to experience an array of delectable French and other baked goodies served with a hot cuppa.

d) Afghan Food and French Baking Classes They have a monthly schedule of classes on their social media and can also arrange classes for a group on a date as desired by them. Greater Action Tailoring:

Highly skilled and experienced tailors from the refugee community create an array of unique hand-crafted gift items, accessories, home

Bolani

linen and home decor with premium recycled fabric donated by supported of Greater Action. These products are available to view and shop at the Centre and will soon be available online as well via their upcoming online store. It started with a refugee couple, that took up tailoring as a means to earn a living when they came to Malaysia. She says the husband was an IT engineer back home while his wife worked as a mathematics and physics teacher. However, the harsh reality of life as a refugee sank in once they got here. “When I met the wife, she was very depressed. She told me she wanted to work but could hardly speak English.

“We found her a machine, to keep her from over-thinking so she could keep herself busy with sewing,” Das says, explaining that the former

teacher used to sew as a hobby before. “Today she’s my head tailor and her husband is even better than her,” Das says, stating the couple often tease each other about their sewing skills. Greater Action’s tailoring team can sew anything your heart desires from beautiful bags to soft quilts, colourful cushion covers and even wedding dresses.

“We once worked with a hospital to make PPE masks which was great,” Das says, explaining that they would love to handle more “big orders.”

Chicken biryani Lentil dip

“We also did a hamper for a company which was a lot of work but it’s really nice when companies want to order meaningful hampers,” she

Greater Action Art

We support 9 young self-taught artists via this project. We help them via sponsorships and guidance. Some of their art work is on display at the centre and many of our visitors buy them or even request a meeting with the artists for custom commissioned pieces. Our next step is going to be art themed workshops conducted by these artists that the ex-pats and locals can participate in.

In September 2021 we held a successful exhibition at the KLGCC East Residence Clubhouse in Bukit Kiara. Colours of Hope showcased artwork on the themes of hope, bravery and strength, successfully

Lemon and coriander hummus

opening doors for their future projects.

Empowerment and Sustainability

Apart from these activities which revolve around the ex-pats and locals participation in the welfare of these families, we have the following activities that are aimed to create a larger community of trained and self-empowered refugees.

Vocational Courses (Tailoring, Culinary, Baking and Teacher Training) Teaching from new, or helping to fine-tune, enhance and finish to a higher standard, tailored items, Afghan cooked food including French baked goods too. And lower primary school teacher training.

Falafel (Vegan)

Youth Coaching

Counselling youths aged 16 and above, needing a positive sense of direction, support and purpose.

Well-being Therapy and Counselling

Emotional and spiritual support from our 20 certified and accredited holistic therapists, we partner with the London College of Clinical Hypnosis.

Family Healthcare

Partnering with the Family Reproductive Health Association (SWP FREHA), the first family planning clinic association to be founded in Malaysia, the sexual and reproductive health and rights of the refugees may be protected.

Artist Development

Sponsoring, supporting and guiding our self-taught young artists and other budding ones in the community.

With a new government firmly in control in Afghanistan, Das notes that many Afghan refugees had become deeply anxious about the well-being of their loved ones back home.

“Many of them don’t have news from their loved ones, be it parents, grandparents and friends,” Das says.

“When they fled their country, not everyone fled and some of them came alone leaving their parents behind so it’s terrible when they hear that their village has been taken over,” she says, adding that many have lost family members due to bombings.

Now while seeking refuge in Malaysia, Greater Action is helping them find a purpose in life and earn a living for themselves amid the anguish they carry in their hearts for those they left behind. To support a refugee through donations, or by purchasing a meal or handicraft, contact Julie Das at greateraction@gmail.com or visit Greater Action’s Instagram or Facebook pages.

About Julie Das

As a French-native who has spent a cumulative 20 years in Malaysia, Julie has been able to answer the humanitarian call in various nations. With a background in Education, it was fitting that Julie began this journey in 2009 with ‘Balo’, an educationfocused organisation in Kolkata, India. After relocating to Yangon,

Myanmar following a return to Malaysia, Julie was able to develop ‘Linkage’, a vocational training project in F&B that targeted atrisk teenagers. As Julie moved back to Kuala Lumpur in 2017, she was able to form close relations with the refugee communities in her area, in particular with Afghan women, through consistent food distribution drives. Noticing a lack of local support for these vulnerable communities, Julie established ‘Greater Action’ in March 2020 to provide day-to-day solutions to all refugee or in-need communities in and around Kuala Lumpur. Today, Greater Action is proud to support 250 families with education, livelihood, health/ mental care, and women empowerment programs.

Recent Greater Action Media Coverage

* Please listen to my recent interview with local radio station, BFM.

https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/good-things/ greater-action-for-refugees

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2021/11/09/ young-refugee-art-exhibit-spotlights-themes-of-hope-bravery-andstrength

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/toplifestyle/2021/09/19/greater-actionneeded-to-help-refugees-inmalaysia/