Children enjoy charity movie treat

Cahaya Surya Bakti (CSB), the volunteer society which manages and runs three schools for Rohingya refugee children in Tampoi, Kluang and Pekan Nanas, recently hosted a charity screening of Disney/Pixar’s animated movie, Coco.

Cahaya Suria Bakti students, teachers and volunteers
at Level Six lobby of mmCineplex in JB City Square

Since 2013, these Rohingya Learning Centers have been facing an increasing need to expand and accommodate the growing student population.

Run by expatriate and local volunteers, the schools are guiding students aged between six and 16 in education centers based in Tampoi (2013), Pekan Nanas and Kluang (both in 2017) to speak, read and write in proper English and Malay.

Founder and executive director of CSB, Soraya Alkaff-Gilmour is pleased that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has selected CSB to be their Eighth Implemented Partner in January 2018.

Soraya [Right] sharing a light moment with the children

Soraya explained that under CSB, education is a social service that requires long-term planning for the Rohingya students to help them achieve their ambitions and to provide them with secondary school education in Johor.

At the moment, students aged 13 and above cannot continue with secondary school education here. As such, some young girls will stop school and be married while the teenage boys must do manual work to help to support the family financially.

Burdened with this responsibility, CSB is working hard to raise funds to go towards fitting out their new school premises which has the capacity for 200 students at Jalan Sutera Merah 3 in Taman Sutera.

Cahaya Surya Bakti teachers and volunteers at the event

Meanwhile, the charity screening of this animated movie at mmCineplex, Johor Baru City Square was attended by some 100 Rohingya children and their teachers from the learning centers in Tampoi, Pekan Nanas and Kluang.

Care-givers from the Berkat Children’s Home, Cerebral Palsy Association and Home for Special Children escorted 65 children to enjoy the movie with their Rohingya friends.

Tickets at RM60 were sponsored by generous donors and well-wishers and all proceeds goes towards the expansion of their school buildings and the children’s school fees, uniforms and transport fees.

Goodie bags handed out to each child before the movie

It was a fun Saturday morning for the youngsters to assemble on the Level Six lobby of mmCineplex, eagerly anticipating the start of the movie.

For most of these children who may have never been to JB City Square, let alone inside a cinema hall, this outing to Johor Baru was an exciting and memorable excursion.

The teachers and volunteers had arranged goodie bags filled with a bottled drink, buns and cake for the children to nibble on during the show. These were handed to each child as they took the escalator up to Hall 8 of the Cineplex.

CSB and mmCineplex ensured that all were
comfortably seated in Hall 8 of the cineplex

Packed into each goodie bag was a refreshing bottles of Minute Maid Orange Juice, kindly contributed by Coca-Cola Refreshment Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Meanwhile, the wheelchair-bound children and their carers conveniently reached the cinema hall with a ride up on the nearby elevator.

CSB had also thoughtfully arranged packed lunches, generously sponsored by a donor for the children from Pekan Nanas and Kluang, because they had a longer return journey after the show.

Poster for Disney/Pixar
animated movie, Coco

The team at mmCineplex did their part to make the young and special viewers comfortable in the cinema hall, like providing booster seats for smaller children and keeping the house lights on even during the screening.

With some sponsors, well-wishers and guests joining the event, the seating capacity in the hall was almost full when the lights dimmed and the movie trailers and commercials started.

Then it was time to sit back and enjoy, Coco. Everyone was transported to Mexico to join young Miguel, a boy who dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. [By the way, Coco is the name of his aged grandmother!]

Enquiries for support and partnerships with Pertubuhan Kebajikan Cahaya Surya Bakti (CSB) can be sent to Email: cahayasuryabakti@gmail.com

Donations, sponsorship and contributions may be banked-in directly to Pertubuhan Kebajikan Cahaya Surya Bakti at RHB Account No. 251076-0000-5037, Taman Pelangi branch.