BWF Development has long invested in and collaborated with organisations around the world as part of our commitment to corporate social responsibility, and is something we take great pride in. BWF has helped provide badminton equipment, logistics arrangement and Shuttle Time teachers, and courses over the years to hundreds of orphanages and children.
Face-to-face activities were originally scheduled to begin in 2020 but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first of many activities to commemorate World Badminton Day took place in July 2022, with the goal of bringing children together through their love of badminton.
Ling Boon Ming is Chief Warden of Rumah Mega Orang Asli and runs fortnightly badminton activities for children aged 6-17. Children have the opportunity to practice badminton in a safe environment, make new friends, and discuss any mental health issues they may be experiencing, thanks to Muzairee, a trained BWF Shuttle Time Teacher.
“We have between 10-20 children attending our badminton programme every two weeks,” said Ming.
“Some children are suffering from a lack of confidence, they are introverted, but after participating in the programme for a few weeks, we have noticed a wonderful change in their behaviour. They are showing themselves to be more outspoken, more confident and are making new friends.
“When children come to play at our centre, they can forget their troubles and focus on being a child – have fun and experience all the joy badminton brings. It has been great for their physical and mental health. We hope to hold more activities for children and welcome any child to participate in our programme,” he added.
The Fuzi Magic Good Will Society, based in Kuala Lumpur, helps run a number of orphanages across the city. Founder, Fuzi Hanim, has a specially developed counselling programme directly addressing children with mental health issues under their leadership module, in addition to running badminton activities for young children.
“We encourage children to talk about mental health and ask us for help with anything they need,” Hanim said.
“Approximately 15 children have benefitted from the programme so far,” she added. Fuzi Magic hopes to deliver weekly mental health awareness seminars, both in a group and one-to-one setting.
“There is a pattern of children having suicidal thoughts, under confidence and a lack of self-care. They might think that people don’t care, but we do. We hope that our programme can continue to change them for the better and be a guide to young children, as well as learning new skills in badminton. It feels great to know that we can help. Our programme is about children healing, inspiring, empowering and discovering parts of themselves.
“I have found the children to be so cheerful – they laugh, run around and discover the elation of badminton. We see them opening their hearts to us and with that, we can help them tackle mental health issues.”
Hanim adds that Fuzi Magic plans to extend their counselling sessions, including online, with further investment to reach more children.
“More and more children are participating, and this can only be a wonderful thing.”
For more information on BWF Development programmes, visit our website.
