ReAct's New Board Members

I'm thrilled and excited to be elected as a Board Member of Refugee Action for Change (ReAct), a refugee-led group that advocates for refugee rights in Malaysia. Below is my thank you statement as posted on my LinkedIn.

My first encounter with refugees was as a volunteer facilitator with the British Red Cross (BRC) in London over ten years ago. Our team arranged weekly support sessions with single refugee mothers.

These women travelled far; some even took 2 hours by bus or bicycle to join our weekly sessions. Each week, our team welcomed them, prepared meals to fill their stomachs, packed bags of food to feed their families, and played with their children as they learned English and the British way of life.

I'll always remember their smiles, laughs and embraces whenever we meet. It's as if we had been family all our lives. Those memories stayed close to me till today.

Back then, I was a fresh psychology graduate and proceeded to build my career in learning and development with multinational companies in the technology and travel industry.

With the universe's divine orchestration, I returned to the refugee cause ten years later. When COVID-19 started, I pursued a Masters of Psychology in Intercultural Relations in Portugal while waiting for the world to open up again. My master's research was based on my memories with BRC, when I wondered... how refugees survive and thrive despite their lived experiences?

My master's research project led me to work with NGOs and refugee communities in Serbia, Portugal and Malaysia. Now, I'm an intercultural psychologist with a research focus on understanding refugees' way of life and discovering social and psychological methods for improving refugees' personal and community well-being.

Despite being a migrant and minority, my experiences do not come close to those with lived experiences. So, I am deeply humbled and honoured that ReAct has entrusted me, someone without lived experiences, to be their Board Member.

Thank you so much for your trust and support. 🙏

I am thrilled and look forward to collaborating and learning from ReAct's members, especially with my esteemed colleagues, Elise Arya Chen and Dr Nora.

I will do my best to support the continued growth of ReAct and its members so that we can build resilient communities and strive for better refugee rights in Malaysia.

As 2023 winds down and before 2024 begins, I congratulate ReAct members, especially the skilled coordinators, DAFER SIEF, Nacima and Deborah, for the amazingly productive and progressive year. Great job everyone! 🎉

Thank you again, and have an excellent rest of 2023.