The Mersing Miracle

“One, two, three... Labubu!” shouted the makeshift team of volunteers in unison as the photographer snapped away.

We had just made the last of 42 fish traps, also known as “bubu” in the local Malaysian language, and wanted to take a group photo to commemorate the milestone.

Making “bubu” was one of the key activities for the latest volunteer trip under the Group’s signature Meet a Need programme. This time we were in Mersing, a quiet fishing village east of Johor, at least two hours away from city life.

There were 20 of us, mostly strangers from different business units across seven countries. From Dec 1-7, this temporary and unskilled group was supposed to produce a number of fishing tools to help some 300 local fishermen. How?

We barely knew one another, struggled to remember all the names, and could hardly strike up a decent conversation given the language barrier at first. Yet, we were expected to work together and deliver like a well oiled machine over the week.

The tasks organised by our NGO partner Social Hero were not easy either. Other than “bubu”, we had to construct fish houses for preserving marine life, establish mushroom farming foundations to supplement the villagers’ income, and help nature restoration by planting over 100 trees. It sounded like a job for professionals. Seriously, how?

Among the volunteers, someone had the answer. Someone who knew somewhere along the way, something would click. Someone who was there at the very first Meet a Need trip in 2007. Me.

In fact, this Mersing trip meant a lot to me. It was my first after a long time away. I wanted to know if, like before, putting together a bunch of seemingly unrelated people could lead to unexpected results.

If magic still happens.

I was not disappointed, watching it all unfold. Clumsy hands became dexterous. Uneasy greetings made way for hearty hugs. Strangers, colleagues to begin with, turned into lifelong friends.

It was exactly why Meet a Need was set up. Other than meaningful community engagement, the Chairman back then envisioned bringing colleagues closer, galvanised by the same common purpose in contributing to a sustainable future.

As we inch closer to the 20-year mark of the programme, we have a lot to be grateful for. Meet a Need has since been nominated in various HR and business awards for best engagement in the region. More than 500 volunteers thus far have helped communities and witnessed the same miracle as I did in Mersing.

I will remember this trip for many reasons. Like how I had finger cramps for the first time in my life after excessive hammering. Like how Rini Marini from Ingredients made everyone smile with her infectious spirit despite the fatigue. Like how Reduan Abdul Aziz from Packaging, away from his family, spent his birthday with us underunusual circumstances. Like how Dudley Jove from Technology was still keen to make another “bubu” coming back from a taxing cement making day.

We improvised as we worked, just like how we improvised with the Labubu cheer during photo taking. Apparently, everyone in the team recognised Labubu the soft toy and talked enthusiastically about how the world had gone crazy over it.

We had more in common than we thought.