BAC helps raise RM13,100 for Hospis Malaysia

BY: Patrick Beech

Recently, an enterprising student from Brickfields Asia College (BAC) organised a charity screening of "Barbie" to raise funds for Hospis Malaysia.

Pravana Shanta Mohan, 17, said he decided to do his part to help raise funds for Hospis as palliative care often gets overlooked.

"Towards the end of your life, most people want to go through their days as comfortably as possible without pain, and Hospis Malaysia really strives to support these goals,” said the 17-year-old.

Based on statistics from the World Health Organisation, about 56.8 million people are in need of palliative care annually and unfortunately, only about 14 per cent actually receive it.

Palliative care is a treatment that improves the quality of life for patients and families who face challenges associated with a life-threatening illness.

This includes physical, psychological, social or even spiritual.

The charity screening of "Barbie", which is also known as the Ripple Effect 40 project was held at 7.30pm on July 20 at the TGV Jaya Shopping Centre.

Tickets are all prepared for the children to catch "Barbie"

It was also the movie's premiere and the venue was sponsored by BAC as part of their Make It Right programme.

The screening marks the fourth instalment of the Ripple Effect Charitable Fundraiser Programme, which is part of the Asia Weaves charity initiative. It was started by Pranava’s brother Visaghan Shanta Mohan in 2019.

Some of the gifts and souvenirs sold during the screening of the movie

Visaghan and Pranava have been working hard to raise funds for Hospis Malaysia over the past three years. The first iteration of the Ripple Effect Charity Fundraiser programme, a charity screening of “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker”, raised over RM27,000.

This was followed by The Ripple Effect 2.0 and 3.0 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, which saw funds raised through online Christmas and New Year bazaars.

According to Hospis Malaysia, after barely two weeks of fundraising and with generous support from well-wishers, they raised a total RM13,100.

This year's fundraiser was extra special as 21 children from shelterhome.org and 20 members from Pertubuhan Kesihatan dan Kebajikan Umum Malaysia (PKKUM) were also invited to watch the movie ‘Barbie’.

Hospis Malaysia also extended their gratitude to donors who not only purchased tickets to support the cause but were also more than happy to give the tickets to children who enjoyed the movie.

TGV Cinemas also chipped in and sponsored popcorn and drinks for the children from the shelter home.