Pledge to make a difference, together.
The Vision of the organization has always been to be a refugee run organization attuned to refugee needs and positioned to craft interventions responsive to those needs. The focus has evolved over the years as conditions have changed. In the early days, the primary need was to respond to and alert the public and authorities to the horrific experiences of refugees as they fled Arakan state in Myanmar (Burma) and made their way to the "relative" safety of Malaysia. Many refugees were sold into slavery and others were killed for unpaid ransom demanded from their families in Myanmar and, sadly, others were killed for organ harvesting.
As the trafficking routes became more difficult, the flow diminished, although it never stopped completely. With this change, the organization began to see a wide range of needs emerge as those trafficked realized that Malaysia was not the benign, welcoming environment they had expected it to be. Nor was it just a way-station on the journey to relocation in a more developed country. In reality, Malaysia is likely to be their home for an extended period, if not indefinitely.
With approximately 200,000 refugees in Malaysia, 20,000 of them in Penang state, a wide spectrum of needs emerged. These included health, security, income generation, education and social challenges faced by refugees. This resulted in the expansion of the organization's focus, as it responded to the most critical needs as defined by the refugees themselves.
While the activities and services have multiplied over the years, the Mission of the organization has remained the same: to empower refugees to re-establish a sense of hope for the future and to rebuild individual, family and community support systems that promote independence and resiliency.
Although the organization is registered with the Malaysian government under the name "Persatuan Komuniti Berdikari" (Resilient Community Association), it was more commonly known as Penang Stop Human Trafficking Campaign. As time evolved and the needs served broadened, the name ASPIRE Penang was adopted for general use.
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