FORMER Miss Malaysia World 2007, Deborah Henry, has a mission. The elegant beauty, who is also the co-founder of the non-profit organisation Fugee.org, is dedicated to educating the public on the myths and misconceptions about refugees in Malaysia.
She also co-founded Fugee School, a non-profit charity organisation that provides basic education to Somalian refugee children. To date, the school has educated more than 250 students and nurtures 130 students aged four to 22.
To honour World Refugee Day today, Fugee.org has launched an awareness campaign titled "MythBusters: Jom Borak". It is aimed at educating the public about the realities faced by refugees through interactive and engaging activities.
The goals
Deborah said the initiative stems from her goal to spread awareness about refugees' realities, as misinformation can lead to more conflict due to a lack of understanding about refugees' origins.
She explained that the campaign includes Instagram polls, quizzes, street interviews, and personal stories shared via social media.
"Many refugees in Malaysia come to escape violence and save their lives. People often do not know what fates await them when they arrive here, and they should understand that refugees and migrants are not the same.
"People who move to a different country for better jobs are called migrants, while people who have been forced to leave their country to escape war and persecution are called refugees. Do we even understand where they come from?
"In Malaysia, refugees often live in limbo without legal status, lacking access to education, formal employment, and healthcare. They face constant fear and exploitation, and are perceived as a burden," she said.
Understanding refugees better
Deborah underscored the need for Malaysians to better understand refugees and urged compassion over fear. She acknowledged concerns about resource allocation but maintained that helping refugees aligns with Malaysia's capacity and values of generosity.
"Malaysia relies heavily on migrant workers to do jobs that we don't want to do. Even without refugees, we still bring in foreign workers to fill these roles."
She added that not all refugees are uneducated and low-skilled.
"There are refugees who have received higher education and worked professional jobs in their home countries. There are also refugees who were unable to receive education due to turmoil in their home countries," she said.
"So, it's unfair to generalise all refugees' education levels as low.
"Helping refugees doesn't mean taking something away from Malaysians. We help people because it's the right thing to do, whether it's providing healthcare, education, jobs, money, charity, or food," said Deborah.
"I think the mindset we need is that we can help others. We are a very generous and charitable country. Malaysia has the ability and the resources to help others."
Positive change
Reflecting on 16 years of advocacy, Deborah expressed hope that the campaign would foster positive change for refugees in Malaysia.
She encouraged first-hand engagement with refugees to foster understanding within Malaysian society.
"Through the campaign, we encourage people to visit us and meet refugees firsthand. There are tensions in communities with large refugee populations, but we must address these issues respectfully. Treating everyone as equals and recognising their contributions builds better relationships than treating them as second-class citizens.
"In essence, the campaign calls for embracing diversity as a strength and collaborating to find inclusive solutions," she concluded, stressing the potential for progress through empathy and cooperation.