Shamil has been with SDB’s CSR team for five years. His dream is to learn to speak English and have an office job.
Numerous organisations across the country are spearheading corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives for individuals with special needs and disabilities. Whether it is through education, advocacy programmes or giving hands-on training, they are doing their part to make our society better equipped and more inclusive to all special needs and disabled individuals, in terms of providing work and employment opportunities.
For example, take the case of Shamil, a special needs young adult with learning and social skills disabilities. The 32-year-old had tried many different employments in the past but could not stay long in each one. In 2017, Shamil joined Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB)’s CSR team. Today, this dedicated and hardworking young man is an ‘expert’ in making various herbal-based health remedies and wellness products.
“I have learnt many new skills including soap-making and packing herbal remedies,” said Shamil. “I have also learnt to stay focused and train myself to think and work quickly. Additionally, I get to know the different types of herbs and how to measure the right amount of ingredients when preparing the herbal packs and other wellness products”, he added.
Shamil is referring to SDB’s latest CSR initiative, One-Two-Boost (OTB) which was launched to train and provide employment opportunities for young adults with special needs or disabilities. While helping them to learn new skills and improve their social skills, OTB also paves the way for these special needs individuals to attain self-dependency through employment.
OTB’s wellness products include its Immune-Booster series comprising soup, tea, drink packs and its latest Muscle Pain Relief Balm to boost the body’s immunity and protect against maladies. OTB’s Nourishing series consists of bazhen soups to increase energy and improve blood circulation flow. All these products are made from natural herbs with customised formulations as prescribed by Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) physicians from the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine.
To date, these health boosters are sold in individual packets and in gift boxes to customers from all walks of life.
Shamil (back row, second from left) posing for a group photo with his team during the Chinese New Year get-together celebration in 2022.
Apart from learning, Shamil also felt more confident when interacting with people including his mentors and coaches, teammates (other special needs young adults) and even customers. Although still a relatively quiet and shy person, he confessed that he is feeling more empowered to do things independently. It is a rare opportunity for Shamil and other special needs young adults, who enjoyed the teamwork and social interactions with each other every weekday at Plaza 138, Kuala Lumpur.
For Shamil, he aspires to reach his full potential and become an independent and successful person in the future – who can contribute positively to society – just like the average person. For many others like Shamil, providing them with a conducive and supportive environment can open the door of opportunity to better themselves and reach their full potential. All they need are proper guidance to help them develop their abilities over time.
In that sense, corporations can play a more active and productive role in building a nurturing and supportive ecosystem for the special needs and disabled community. Such actions will promote and complement the efforts already taken by families and many other non-governmental organisations in support of these underprivileged communities. The goal is for them to live a more fulfilling and purposeful life.
When asked what are his take-home messages for all, Shamil said, “(To) give more opportunities, especially in terms of employment to the special needs and disabled community.” Also, he hopes that society, in general, will acknowledge individuals like him and be more understanding and inclusive. Last but not least, he also hopes that people, in general, will not exploit or victimise special needs individuals.
To see how Shamil prepares SDB’s OTB Muscle Pain Relief Balm, kindly visit; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwXI6dcHzE
To learn more about SDB OTB’s Muscle Pain Relief Balm, kindly visit;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWYR-bm8eIM
