Iskul

Awards & Grants

Star Golden Hearts Awards 2022. —SAMUEL ONG/The Star

Award

Gamuda Inspiration Award

Iskul was awarded the Gamuda Inspiration Award. This award allocated RM120,000 towards our work. This bestowal has entirely changed the horizon for us.

The funds from these awards have supported a salary for several full-time staff. This includes Mastal Arikik. They have also allowed for the expansion of our daily activities and curriculum.

Learn more

Award

The Star Golden Hearts Award

In 2022, Iskul was a proud recipient of The Star Golden Hearts Award. This award is given annually to celebrate everyday Malaysians. It honours those who show extraordinary commitment to social work and promote unity in the community.

Yayasan Gamuda increased the award from RM10,000 to RM15,000. This was in recognition of the causes represented by the winners.

Grant

Yayasan Hasanah Special Grant 2020

The Yayasan Hasanah Special Grant came on the heels of a rut that we found ourselves in during the MCO. This lifeline grant enabled us to recover into 2021. It helped kick start social development projects for the community. It also improved water access during a time when hygiene and health was so crucial.

Project Impacts

  • 30 children get basic literacy lessons.
  • Children’s confidence has improved – 15 performances of singing, theater, dancing and “wayang kulit”.
  • Pondok Iskul has safe electric connection from SESB 
  • 30 households received 100L water tanks 
  • Students started daily oral hygiene 
  • 34 participants’ BMIs have grown since joining our meals program in July 2020 (out of 45).
  • 20 pregnant and nursing mothers, and 30 children received Obimin supplements and multi-vitamins.
  • Iskul Team starts to supply first aid services to our students and the community.

Grant

Yayasan Hasanah Humanitarian and Disaster Relief HRF 2020

We aim to supply food baskets to B40 households on Omadal Island. We will also supply vitamins to stateless households during the Movement Control Order amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Project Impacts

  • 180 stateless people took the Covid-19 screening with Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah (PKD) Semporna
  • The local community was united with the private sector, including F&N Malaysia and Scubaholics. The public sectors, like PKD Semporna, joined in collaboration. Support also came from NGOs like Semporna Heroes and WAPO. The publics, including KitaFunds, and foundations like Yayasan Hasanah contributed to both stateless and Malaysian communities on Omadal.
  • Iskul’s assistant teachers (stateless) and field coordinator (Malaysian) learned to distribute food relief to their own community.
  • 221 households get 2 food baskets for their 3 weeks of supplies.
  • Collaborated with PKD on their free Polio Vaccination while we continue to distribute the food basket.

Grant

UNDP’s Small Grant Projects’ ICCA

The UNDP Small Grants Programme awarded our organisation a grant in support of our work. This grant funded our waste management project, health awareness and vaccination campaigns, and marine stewardship training. With the added resources, our content creation team managed to advance significantly. They grew our YouTube channel. Now, videos can be monetised, serving as an extra source of income for the youths. Funding from the UNDP also supported water access on Omadal.

Project Impacts

  • 1,255.5kg of plastic waste saved from being thrown into the sea. 
  • 35 households now dispose plastic into bins instead of sea through a pilot waste management system.
  • 35 students learned to bring their plastic trash to be weighed and kept in Iskul before being disposed in Semporna. 
  • 10 youth (5 stateless and 5 Malaysian B40) trained in digital content-making and filmmaking.
  • Iskul’s YouTube channel became a YouTube partner and is ready to monetise our content, current earning: RM15 
  • Iskul’s Facebook reached monetising status. It has earned USD 133 from the videos we posted. Iskul’s TikTok can be monetised now. 
  • Students bring oral hygiene to their homes.

Grant

NDI Grant

The National Democratic Institute, Malaysia, provides a grant. This grant funds our mental health training. It also supports the second marine module training, a collaboration between Iskul and Reef Check Malaysia.

Grant

ISI Covid-19 Emergency Statelessness Fund

This project supported the role of the school within the community. It did so by maintaining the continuation of existing school activities during a trying time. Additionally, it provided direct support to community members. The project raised awareness within the community about COVID-19, prevention measures, and the importance of medication and vaccination.

Project Impacts

  • Supported our operation for Oct-Dec 2021
  • Launch of Pentas Bulan Paluwak for the community (co-funded with UNDP SGP).
  • Consultation with the stateless about Covid-19 vaccination and encourage them to vaccinate.
  • Guided 6 stateless youth to vaccinate.
  • Produced two videos related to Covid-19 and a wayang kulit performance as a way to spread awareness (co-funded with UNDP SGP)

Grant

Mah Sing Foundation Grant (2017)

The Mah Sing Foundation served as one of our first benefactors, providing the resources to build Pondok Iskul. This changed a lot for Iskul. Before receiving this funding, we held our classes on the front porch of our principal’s house.