OUR FOUNDATION IS ALL ABOUT

CHANGING LIVES

The Educational, Welfare and Research Foundation (EWRF) is a Malaysian NPO & NGO, founded in 1979, whose mission is to empower marginalised communities in Malaysia by creating platforms for empowerment through education, psycho-social counselling and welfare for B40* communities so the equity difference between themselves and others can be reduced.

EWRF is made up of volunteers, advocates, educators, mobilisers, community champions, and professionals from diverse backgrounds, and its work focuses on the following objectives:

Community development by empowering academically under performing and socially challenged students;
Increasing and sharing innovative approaches for information exchange through experimentation, research and technology;
Developing innovative platforms related to educational, social, counselling and welfare;

* (An indicator indicating the bottom 40% of earners in Malaysia based on total household income)

EWRF’s core programmes are:

English for Juniors (E4J)
Civil Society Intervention (CSI)
Skill Training Initiative (STI)
Volunteer Induction Programme (VIP)
Counselling
Research
Medical Aid and Welfare.

Our History

EWRF's 42 year journey since 1979

Here you will be able to trace back what started as a support for a few promising children by well intentioned professionals, over the years has become an esteemed organisation of dedicated citizens who care for those who may have been left behind in the midst of a faced paced growing nation.

Phase 1

EWRF was officially registered as an NGO on 1st Feb 1979. Up to 1995, the general focus was to assist young Malaysian Indian
individuals to have a better probability to attend public universities. Hostels were established in Kluang and Muar to accommodate bright students from plantations and rural areas to attend good schools and be given adequate guidance by professionals.

Phase 2

EWRF launched a new project starting 1996 which continued until 2005, called project Assist a Bright Child (ABC) as an encouragement for students from secondary schools who have achieved good results in public examinations to be rewarded with scholarships. This initiative was later handed over to the Malaysian Community and Education Foundation (MCEF) and was subsequently renamed as Project ILHAM.

Phase One

EWRF was officially registered as an NGO on 1st of February 1979. Up to 1995, the general focus was to assist young Malaysian Indian individuals to have a better probability in attending public universities. Hostels were established in Kluang and Muar to allow bright students from plantations and rural areas to attend schools and be provided adequate guidance by professionals.

Phase Two

EWRF launched a new project in 1996 which continued until 2005, called “Assist a Bright Child” (ABC) as an encouragement for students from secondary schools who have achieved good results in public examinations to be rewarded with scholarships. This initiative was later handed over to the Malaysian Community and Education Foundation (MCEF) and was subsequently renamed as Project ILHAM.

Phase Three

In 2006, Mr. S. Pasupathi took over EWRF’s journey, with delinquents being the main issue to be tackled. The Millennial Phase focused on “At-Risk” students who were not only from economically challenged backgrounds but who were underachieving students as well. The 2014 Household Income Survey by the Department of Statistics showed that a large percentage of the Malaysian Indian community had to struggle with lower income. The study also revealed that 139,030 families comprising 695,030 Indians were still being affected by poverty and poverty related challenges. EWRF launched a new project in 1996 which continued until 2005, called “Assist a Bright Child” (ABC) as an encouragement for students from secondary schools who have achieved good results in public examinations to be rewarded with scholarships. This initiative was later handed over to the Malaysian Community and Education Foundation (MCEF) and was subsequently renamed as Project ILHAM.

Phase 3

In 2006, Mr. S. Pasupathi took over EWRF’s journey, with delinquents being the main issue to tackle. The Millennial Phase which is the current phase focused on “At-Risk” students who are not only from economically challenged backgrounds but who are also underachieving students. The 2014 Household Income Survey by the Department of Statistics showed that Malaysian Indian community has to struggle with lower income. The study also revealed that 139,030 families comprising 695,030 Indians who are still affected by poverty and related challenges.

This constitutes 33% of the entire Malaysian Indian population. This also means that 33% of the Indian community in Malaysia is categorized under the B40 income category earning less than RM 2,537 per month. Under current economics and cost of living conditions, it is not enough to sustain a family with such low income. Such living conditions would further deprive them of the basic necessities in life and this would eventually lead them to a life of hardship.