Mari Kita Membaca, a worthy cause

Philanthropic giving is a big thing in the USA, a cottage industry almost. About 2 out of every 3 American households gives to charity annually -- it's not something that just Bill Gates and Warren Buffett do. Unfortunately, not many communities outside the US have yet developed a similar culture of giving. If you're interested in doing something for charity though, some friends recently founded Mari Kita Membaca, a charity which gives books to libraries and pre-schools in isolated Orang Asli villages. One of them wrote to me explaining the project:

We started just a few months ago and in a nutshell, we fundraise to send books to orang asli villages which already have community learning centers. We screen and select villages that we think will benefit the most out of getting the books and after consultation with local teachers, we help them buy the books that would assist them in their curriculum. It's not a very big operation, but we do what we can. We have a pretty quick turnover of our cash, and 100% of it goes towards buying the books and any delivery expenses.

It's definitely a worthy cause, and if you're interested in helping or finding out more, check out the Mari Kita Membaca website: http://www.marikitamembaca.org/

Otak Otak: placing students in high-quality internships

I can tell you from personal experience that getting a good internship in Malaysia is hard. There is no easy way to discern the good from the bad, and very few companies even have actual internship programmes. Those few that do tend to offer mixed results, with interns often feeling they are an afterthought and an adjunct to the organisation's work. (When I talk with friends who intern at local banks, they often have more stories to tell about running the photocopiers and buying kuih than they do about actual finance-related work.)

Of course, where there's a problem, there's an opportunity. Some friends have set up Otak Otak, a project to match qualified interns with good companies, and provide structure to the internship programmes. They are currently looking for companies interested in hiring competent interns for a month or two, as well as interested students looking for internship opportunities in Malaysia. The website is otak2.com; more details after the jump.

Otak-Otak : An Elite Internship Program for Future Malaysian Leaders

What is it : Otak-Otak is a highly selective leadership program for interns to be held during the June - July 2011 period. We are looking to accept 50 top students and place them in leading organisations across 4 sectors in Malaysia - the corporate sector, small businesses, goverment, and the non profit realm. All interns will have access to events most evenings after work (networking, site visits, training from corporates), and also share common accomodation - with regular sharing and development sessions planned.

Why it's important : This is a unique oppurtunity for students to participate in a highly selective program of its kind and share experiences with other students who are going through the same program. It will be the first year (of many to come) for a very innovative program that will allow young Malaysians to work at top companies across KL and at the same time be part of a larger group.

How to Apply : Application details and more program information can be found at www.otak2.com

Studying the brain drain

With the announcement of a Talent Corporation to bring home Malaysians who've gone overseas, this research — Plugging the Brain Drain — seems relevant. The findings are quite accessible to the layperson, but if you have a little statistical background, you'll definitely get a chance to grapple with some of the most extensive publicly-available analysis of our brain drain (that I know of, at any rate).

It has its flaws, especially with regard to data collection (full disclosure: Kian Ming and I helped the author with some of the statistical analysis), but it is of course only an initial foray into studying the reasons behind why Malaysians leave — or come home. If you have any comments, do post them here or contact the author, Evelyn Wong, directly. Also do share if you know of any similar studies, or scholars working on this topic!