With English, Mathematics and computer classes already part of the curriculum, Aemulus Corporation Sdn Bhd began to consider what more it could offer the children at Sunshine Learning Centre. The question sparked a wave of ideas within the team as it explored meaningful ways to enrich the learning experience for the little ones.
As the name suggests, Sunshine Learning Centre is a ray of hope for refugee children residing in Malaysia. While education is essential, it remains scarce and often inaccessible to them and the learning centre plays an instrumental role in casting light on what can otherwise be a bleak future.
Aemulus thought carefully about what it could do within its means to aid the children’s learning journey and considered bringing back its sports programme for them, believing that this could help fill the void. This was how its six-month Nurturing A Love for Sports Program was introduced.
The establishment of its in-house multipurpose court further supported the initiative. In line with its long-term Sustainability Pledge, several Aemulus staff members who were once basketball players competing in state-level tournaments conducted weekly private coaching session for the children.
Shooting hoops, dribbling, passing, rebounding – the coordination, footwork, speed and accuracy were all part of the masterclass playbook. Without any prior knowledge of basketball, the little ones started with the fundamentals. The rotation and team-based competitions during the lessons encouraged teamwork and collaboration among the children. The differences in age and height posed challenges for the younger children – but despite these hurdles, their passion for learning and interest in sports fuelled their commitment.
Month after month, their improvement was a stark contrast to when they first began. As the 6-month basketball coaching programme came to an end, it was a bittersweet yet rewarding moment. With the next session already on their minds, the children couldn’t be more excited to get back on the court!