Annual Review 2017 | Page 22

COMMUNITY We are committed to fostering a connected community of students and staff that is engaged with the wider public. Whether it is by inspiring public service, promoting inclusivity or running university preparation programs, the goal is to make a meaningful impact on the lives in our Monash community and those around us. Engineers Without Borders Photo by Christopher Oh for MONGA The Engineers Without Borders student chapter at Monash University Malaysia (EWB-MUM) are a dedicated group of student volunteers who are interested in creating change through humanitarian engineering. These are some of their efforts in 2017. NGO Day Monash’s annual NGO (non-governmental organisation) Day welcomed 17 organisations including Amnesty International and the Pink Triangle Foundation to promote various causes and explore collaboration opportunities with students. The day concluded with a game of Blind Futsal with the National Blind Futsal Team. Renovating refugee schools Led by Dr Babak Salamatinia, volunteers gave the Chin Student Organisation Refugee School smooth walls, fresh paint and new flooring. They also worked at the ZOMI Refugee School for about four months, solving their piping and roofing problems, replacing their rusty balcony grill, and giving the whole place a coat of fresh paint. Studying dengue viral infections A community-based study on dengue viral infections was conducted during Health and Dengue Fever Awareness Day in Shah Alam, which has been identified as a hotspot dengue zone by health officials. This was a collaborative project between Monash Malaysia, the Ministry of Health, and the Section U2 community of Shah Alam. Lighting up a village Eighteen volunteers joined Lightup Borneo on a three-day two-night trip to install a 10kW micro hydro generator for an Orang Asli Village outside Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Photo by MONGA Public Health Campaign Making music EWB-MUM teamed up with GoodKids Malaysia, a social enterprise that aims to empower youth through performing arts, to organise an instrument-making workshop for participants between the ages of eight and 18. Using recycled materials, the participants were guided to create their own musical instruments. Later in the year Monash hosted the GoodKids League, a performance showcase. 21 Monash University Pharmacy Society in collaboration with Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association organised a public health campaign on campus to improve public awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance. The two-day campaign offered health screenings, talks and a poster competition. Monash Business Investment Challenge This annual event educates pre-university students in financial literacy through a virtual financial investment and trading challenge. It was held at the Monash University Sunway Simulated Trading lab, and was a test of wit, quick thinking and decision-making skills for the participants.