Phase E

Research and Social Development

Programme
Final Essay of the session
On
Community Services around the world

Essay Submitted by
Mohammed Jahid Hasan Zim
1000081

Submitted to
Mr. Ayub Mat Zain

Submission Date:
11th August, 2011
Around the world and through the years, terms such as service learning,
volunteering, practicum, internship, social service, community engagement,
community service and the scholarship of engagement have been used
interchangeably.

Amongst others, the benefits of service include various personal, social and
learning outcomes, e.g. self-esteem, personal worth, competence and confidence,
self-understanding, motivation, sense of usefulness, doing something worthwhile,
ability to make a difference, openness to new experiences, ability to take
responsibility, reduce stereotypes, acknowledge and accept consequences of
actions, reflecting on own altruistic values and attitudes, developing a range of
social skills, e.g. listening, communicating, team-work, problem-solving, etc.
Through which we can possess a passion for humanity and make a meaningful
contribution to the society.

AIU’s mission, vision and core values motivate the students to build up
humanitarian values inside them through various kinds of community services in
and around the campus. Besides the service program has an independent meaning
stands for AIU whereby the general definition of community service program is the
basis for the extended meaning of community engagement.

"Services which are identified by an institution of higher education, through formal

or informal consultation with local nonprofit, governmental, and community-based
organizations, as designed to improve the quality of life for community residents,
particularly low-income individuals, or to solve particular problems related to their
needs, including:

1. such fields as health care, child care, literacy training, education (including
tutuorial services), welfare, social services, transportation, housing and
neighborhood improvement, public safety, crime prevention and control,
recreation, rural development, and community improvement;
2. work in service opportunities or youth corps as defined in the National and
Community Service Act of 1990;
3. support services to students with disabilities; and
4. activities in which a student serves as a mentor for such purposes as
tutoring, supporting educational and recreational activities; and counseling,
including career counseling."

[Taken from the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education
Amendments of 1992, and the Higher Education Technical Amendments of 1993]

Therefore service is a central and defining characteristic of AIU and its a process of
producing successful graduates who are not only skilled in thier respective fields
but also devoted to God and at anytime ready to serve thier communities.
Grameen Bank
Pioneer in community services in bangladesh

The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development

bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans (known as microcredit) to the
impoverished without requiring collateral. The name Grameen is derived from the
word gram which means "rural" or "village" in the Bengali language.

The system of this bank is based on the idea that the poor have skills that are
under-utilized. A group-based credit approach is applied which utilizes the peer-
pressure within the group to ensure the borrowers follow through and use caution
in conducting their financial affairs with strict discipline, ensuring repayment
eventually and allowing the borrowers to develop good credit standing. The bank
also accepts deposits, provides other services, and runs several development-
oriented businesses including fabric, telephone and energy companies. Another
distinctive feature of the bank's credit program is that the overwhelming majority
(98%) of its borrowers are women.

Grameen Bank Project" (Grameen means rural) started with the following
objectives:
- To extend the banking facilities to the poor men and women.
- To eliminate the exploitation of the money lenders.
- To create opportunities for self employment for the vast unutilized and under
utilized manpower resources.
- To bring the disadvantaged people within the framework of some organizational
format which they can understand and operate and can find socio-political and
economic strength through mutual support.
- To reverse the age-old vicious circle of "low income, low savings, low investment
"into an expanding system of" low income, credit, investment, more income, more
credit, more investment, more income.

Grameen believes that charity is not an answer to poverty. It only helps poverty to
continue as it creates dependency and takes away individual's initiative to break
through the cycle of poverty, whereas loans offer people the opportunity to take
initiatives in business or agriculture, providing earnings and enabling them to pay
off the debt.

Professor Muhammad Yunus, the former Managing Director of Grameen Bank

reasoned that if financial resources can be made available to the poor people at
terms and conditions which are appropriate and reasonable, "these millions of
small people with their millions of small pursuits can add up to create the biggest
development wonder".
October 13, 2006 was the happiest day for Bangladesh. It was a great moment for
the whole nation. Announcement came on that day that Grameen Bank and I
received the Nobel Peace Prize, 2006, said by Dr. Muhammad Yunus the founder of
Grameen Bank.

Grameen Bank has now become a national institution that provides credit to the
rural poor in Bangladesh. It is today also owned by the poor, whose paid up share
capital amount to Taka 200 million. Credit provided by Grameen in 1994 exceeded
the total amount of all other financial institutions and NGOs put together in
Bangladesh. Grameen is committed to the goal of alleviation of poverty and
empowerment of the rural poor. To fulfill its strategic objective, Grameen has
grown institutionally, its credit operations have expanded rapidly and its
programmes have become more diversified.

Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA)

Going ahead in service of psyciatric patients

The Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) was founded in 1967 and is a
community based NGO operating solely on public donations and a small annual
grant from the Department of Social Welfare. Among the objectives of the MMHA
are to be a dynamic advocate for positive attitudes towards mental health, to plan
and execute mental health programmes and provide rehabilitation services. Mental
Health is a community responsibility as mental health disorders can affect anyone.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 1 in 5 people will have a mental
health disorder in their lifetime. Mental Illness/disorders can be treated but
support and awareness are crucial to destigmatizing mental illness.

Their objectives are as follows:

 To promote mental health in the community

 To help raise the standard of treatment, prevention and research in the field
of mental health.
 To provide rehabilitative services for the mentally ill.
 To safeguard the interests and welfare of psychiatric patients.
 To support caregivers and family members of mentally ill persons.

The MMHA runs a Day Care Centre, a Charity Shop Project, organises public forums
on mental health issues, provides support for carers of the mentally ill, runs Family
to Family Education groups, conducts a Depression Support group and advocates for
the rights of the mentally ill. MMHA has introduced the illness management &
recovery, line dancing, singing, art painting, gardening, indoor and outdoor games,
daily exercising, occasional outings for the clients under its rehabilitation
programme.

Rotary International
Best example from around the world
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs
located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring
together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service,
encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and
peace in the world. It is a secular organization open to all persons regardless of
race, color, creed, gender, or political preference.
The members of Rotary Clubs are known as Rotarians. Rotary's best-known motto is
"Service above Self", and its secondary motto is "They profit most who serve best".

The objects of Rotary are to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of
worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster :

1. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

2. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the
worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's
occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
3. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business,
and community life;
4. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace
through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the
ideal of service.

In order to carry out its service programs, Rotary is structured in club, district and
international levels. Rotarians are members of their clubs. According to its
constitutions ("Charters"), Rotary defines itself as a non-partisan, non-sectarian and
secular organization. It is open to business and professional leaders of all ages (18
and upwards) and economic status.

The programs of Rotary are so diverse as to all but defy categorisation. In addition,
there are the programs of The Rotary Foundation, which include educational,
humanitarian and fellowship and vocational exchanges.
Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 12 to 18.
Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and
guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. Each year, Interact clubs
complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers
international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors
develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the
importance of: developing leadership skills and personal integrity, demonstrating
helpfulness and respect for others, understanding the value of individual
responsibility and hard work and advancing international understanding and
goodwill.

The most notable current global project, PolioPlus, is contributing to the global
eradication of polio. Since beginning the project in 1985, Rotarians have
contributed over US$850 million and tens of thousands of volunteer-hours, leading
to the inoculation of more than two billion of the world's children.

Today, there are six different types of Rotary Scholarships. More than 38,000 men
and women from 100 nations have studied abroad under the auspices of
Ambassadorial Scholarship, and today it is the world's largest privately funded
international scholarships program.

Rotary clubs worldwide place a focus on increasing literacy. Such importance has
been placed on literacy that Rotary International has created a “Rotary Literacy
Month” that takes place during the month of March. Rotary clubs also aim to
conduct many literacy events during the week of September 8, which is
International Literacy Day. Some Rotary clubs raise funds for schools and other
literacy organizations.

Reflections trough AIU Community Service program

From the very beginning of its intake AIU started to impose on the students the
responsibility to do service program through community engagement and public
service. It is very hopeful that AIU has successfully done many community services
during these several months. As students are required to undertake service
activities, they are also gaining experience and learning skills to help the
community residents.

The community service has improved my courage and confidence as I am used to

take leadership skills many times. It is a way of learning through practical hard
work. I did not only learn leadership also obtained how to manage time and people
as well. It brings a great effect in my life. It indicates a turn, brings respect and
dignity.

Recently we have finished a community service at Taman PKNK nearby AIU campus
and helped a kindergarten to take a new look. Almost 90 students went there and
did there gardening, cleaning, cutting trees and weeds, painting the rolling chair
and made fun. We were under the guidance of our lecturers and community service
facilitators and other staffs. We learned to take leadership skills and have
sympathy for the children in the kindergarten.

I hope I will be able to fulfill the wishes and philosophy of the founder of AIU and
through service program I will gain experiences and show my passion to the
neighboring communities.
References:
http://web.missouri.edu/~wrkstudy/comserv2.html

http://socyberty.com/society/the-true-meaning-of-community-service/

http://www.mmha.org.my/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Bank

http://www.mentalhealth.org.my/index.cfm?menuid=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_International