PwC PH-Cebu office and Universiti Malaysia spread love in Hagnaya

^{Employees from our Cebu office help students of Universiti Malaysia Pahang. translate game-instructions from English to Cebuano.}

A group of Malaysian students from the UNESCO Club of the Universiti Malaysia Pahang held last 21 August a community outreach program in the Madinah Muslim Community of Hagnaya, a town north of Cebu. 

Joining the students in this activity, entitled “Spread the love and knowledge at Hagnaya”, were our colleagues from the Cebu branch office: Senior Manager Rose Dale Ando, Senior Associates Ma.  Beebeenee Baracho and Juan Paolo Conchas, and Associates Dhenver Cuizon, Cory-Ann Que and Edgar Dalumpines.

PwC Malaysia coordinated the event with our Cebu office, who assisted the visiting students especially in translating game instructions from English to Cebuano.  The team of Rose Dale also led an activity where they asked the children to draw. The top prize went to a girl who drew herself, her parents and 11 other siblings.

The community observed Muslim prayer time at noon break. At lunch, our Cebu team had a unique experience of eating together in two separate tables, with the males and females seated apart to observe Muslim tradition. The town mosque is visited by Muslims from far-away places and so the wife of Village Head Donald Arabasi (“Abu Bakar”) always prepares a big meal for everyone to share.

In the evening, the Malaysian students played the movie, “Big Hero” for the children, who excitedly gathered around to  watch.

According to Arabasi, his aunt used to finance the village but when she became ill, help was hard to find. When 'Yolanda' struck, businesses and houses were damaged.  Families sought refuge in the mosque. Weeks after the typhoon, the Malaysian Relief Agency (MRA) was on its way to Bantayan Island for relief efforts when they saw the tip of the mosque. They decided to stop by Hagnaya, and from then on, MRA has been active in providing them with a lot of support.

The visiting team bid good bye with a valuable lesson to keep - the real meaning of community sharing. They even sent a package of medicines after the event. Arabasi texted his appreciation: "Thank you very much and may our Almighty Creator reward you well!"

^{Universiti of Malaysia Pahang students pose with our colleagues in Cebu and the kids of the Madinah Muslim Community}

Story contributed by Cebu office Senior Manager Rose Dale Ando