More than 200 participants comprising students from the Faculty of Business and Management (FBM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia together with residents from Maple Hillpark, Puncak Alam took part in a “Gotong Royong Serentak Maple-HEALSS” in December 2020.
The “Gotong-royong” program meaning communal work was done within the neighborhood and aimed not only at physical cleaning but also, more importantly, to strengthen ties among families and neighborhood. This program is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 that calls for cities and human settlements to be inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
This program, a communal wok was organized by the Maple Hillpark Residence Association (MPHRA) and Health Administration League for Students Society (HEALSS), Bachelor of Health Administration (Hons.), UiTM. All the participants were constantly reminded to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to wear masks, wear gloves and observe social distancing during the cleaning activity of both the house and the surroundings.
The organizers also hired a sanitation company to sanitize the Maple neighborhood park which includes a children’s playground, a basketball court, a reflexology center, BBQ area and a multipurpose area.
The program advisor, Mr Mohamad Naqiuddin Md Mansor from Maple Hillpark, a FBM lecturer, and Ms. Aina Insyirah Norazizi, President of HEALSS, organized a few online activities during this program using cisco webex. The exciting programs included Zumba Online, the Snap & Win Contest and a Health Webinar.
Dr Mohamad Mu’izuddin Bin Senin, a medical practitioner with Dr Muiz Clinic, Sri Pristana in his “Stop COVID-19 Spread, Fight Dengue” webinar reminded the audience that both dengue and COVID-19 can cause severe illnesses that can be fatal. He shared crucial information on effective outbreak containment strategies for dengue, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledged the effort of the organizer in organizing this gotong-royong in a new norm.
In the closing ceremony, Dr Noor’ain Mohamad Yunus, Head of Department of International Business and Management Studies (DIBMS), and Mr. Mohd Fuad Awang Kechik, Treasurer (acting President) of MPHRA highlighted a potential collaboration between the community and the educational institution in future projects.