Peace, Inclusion and Community Care in Penang 2026

CODE: MY-SCI W13.1

Work:

Volunteers may support practical service activities at Penang Cheshire Home, such as cleaning wheelchairs, reorganising storage areas, assisting with simple maintenance of shared spaces, and supporting activities that help create a clean and accessible environment for residents. The travel journal records that volunteers previously cleaned wheelchairs and rearranged a warehouse in the physical training room at Penang Cheshire Home, which serves people with disabilities. Penang Cheshire Home itself states that its purpose is to support physically disabled people to become independent and participate in society with dignity.

Volunteers may also serve at Little Sisters of the Poor, an elderly care institution in Penang. Possible activities include cleaning common areas, assisting with lunch preparation, preparing small gifts or greeting cards for residents, supporting light recreational sessions, and creating respectful interaction with elderly residents through songs, storytelling, or cultural exchange. In the 2024 post-mini camp, volunteers cleaned windows and doors, prepared lunch, gave small gifts, and joined the residents in a warm social activity. The institution describes its mission as caring for elderly poor people with love, respect, and humble service.

The project may include a learning session at Penang Hill, focusing on environmental peace, interfaith harmony, and sustainable community life. The travel journal notes that volunteers visited Penang Hill, observed Penang Island from the hill, and saw a Hindu Tamil place of worship and a mosque standing side by side, symbolising harmony across ethnic and religious communities. Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve is recognised for its natural and cultural heritage, biodiversity, and potential to demonstrate ways of living in harmony with nature.

The project will culminate in a local celebration of International Peace Day on 26 September 2026. Although the International Day of Peace is globally observed on 21 September, local activities can be organised around the same period. Peace Day encourages communities to create activities related to peace, education, social justice, health, the environment, and service to others. The 26 September event may include a student-led peace gathering, cultural sharing, short reflection circle, mini exhibition, peace messages, public service activity, and a presentation of what students learned during the project.

Accommodation and food

There are adequate rooms and open space for sleeping. Bring along a sleeping bag and mosquitoes repellants and sun-block. Participants are expected to keep the place clean, neat and orderly. There are 2 bath rooms with hot shower provided. Cooking, washing faculties are available. Participants are expected to prepare their own meals – Share your home recipe. There is limited Internet Facility. Participants advise to purchase a local SIM card .

Approximate Location: Penang, Malaysia

Requirements:

This project is suitable for university students, especially those studying law, social sciences, international relations, education, social work, public policy, or related fields. Volunteers should be open-minded, respectful toward different religions and cultures, willing to do practical service work, and ready to participate in group reflection and non-formal learning activities.

Special documents required: Motivation Letter

Additional comments

Study theme: The study theme of this project is “Peace through Social Inclusion, Human Rights and Community Service.” Students will reflect on how volunteering can contribute to a more peaceful society by addressing exclusion, loneliness, disability barriers, age-related vulnerability, and intergroup prejudice. SCI describes volunteering as connected to peaceful societies because cross-border volunteering promotes civic engagement, intercultural understanding, respect, empowerment, and cooperation. For university students from a law department, the project can be connected to academic subjects such as human rights law, disability rights, elderly protection, social welfare law, international law, environmental law, legal ethics, community empowerment, and access to justice. Students may prepare simple public education materials on rights and inclusion, but they should not provide formal legal advice unless supervised by qualified legal professionals.

This project is designed as a short-term group volunteer programme for university students who want to experience community service, intercultural learning, and peace education in Penang, Malaysia. The project is inspired by the SCI Malaysia post-mini camp held after the 88th International Committee Meeting in December 2024, where volunteers visited community institutions, supported practical service activities, and reflected on peace, diversity, and social inclusion. The earlier programme included service at Penang Cheshire Home, Little Sisters of the Poor, and a learning visit to Penang Hill, each of which offered different perspectives on disability inclusion, elderly care, interfaith harmony, and environmental-cultural heritage.

The project will bring together university students as a group volunteer team to support local social institutions while learning how peace is built through daily acts of service, respect, and solidarity. The main idea is not only to “help” local communities, but also to understand how social care, disability rights, elderly dignity, intercultural dialogue, and environmental responsibility are connected to a wider culture of peace. This aligns with SCI’s mission of promoting peace through international volunteering and local-global impact.