2.3.2 Students hunger interventions

FSSH Sharing the Joy of Ramadan through Bubur Lambuk Drive-thru Program

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) provides direct, large-scale interventions to prevent or alleviate hunger among its campus community through culturally resonant food distribution programs that foster staff welfare and community spirit.

• Large-Scale Food Provision: The Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities (FSSH) organizes an annual “Bubur Lambuk Drive-thru” program, a significant effort in preparing and distributing food as part of the Ramadan calendar. This initiative resulted in the preparation and distribution of 500 containers of bubur lambuk (a nutritious savory porridge).
• Targeting Campus Population for Welfare: Although the immediate distribution mentioned was among staff and the Security Department, the context of the annual tradition of sharing bubur lambuk is deeply rooted in community sharing, empathy, and providing meals for breaking the fast (iftar). Such large-scale food preparation and distribution efforts on campus, especially during Ramadan, act as a primary mechanism to support the welfare of the wider campus population, which includes students who are often the recipients of such community charity.
• Fostering a Culture of Giving: The program's core objectives include promoting good deeds, teamwork, and community spirit. By mobilizing staff from various schools to collaborate in the preparation, cooking, and packing process, the university institutionalizes a culture of sharing and giving back to the community. This demonstrated willingness to organize and fund significant, labor-intensive food aid showcases a structural commitment to the well-being of the campus members, serving as an effective, immediate hunger intervention.

Through the annual FSSH Bubur Lambuk Drive-thru, UTM successfully uses cultural and communal events to generate and distribute substantial quantities of food, thereby providing a clear, visible intervention to alleviate hunger and reinforce the spirit of compassion within the university community.

Source :

https://news.utm.my/2024/04/fssh-sharing-the-joy-of-ramadan-through-bubur-lambuk-drive-thru-program/

Kelab GPS UTM bantu pelajar melalui Program MYSavefood Ramadan

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) provides a highly effective, student-led intervention that directly addresses the need to alleviate hunger among students while concurrently tackling the pervasive issue of food waste. This is executed through the multi-phased MYSavefood Ramadan Program, which serves as a practical, scalable model for food security intervention.

The initiative, spearheaded by UTM’s Gerakan Pengguna Siswa (GPS) Club in active partnership with the Pertubuhan Belia Gema Malaysia (GEMA) and local Ramadan Bazaar vendors, operates as a systematic food rescue operation. Its primary focus is to collect high-quality, unsold food and drinks from external vendors that would otherwise contribute to Malaysia's significant food waste problem.

This collaborative effort resulted in a substantial, quantifiable benefit for the campus community: a total of 642.4 kg of surplus food and drinks were successfully rescued and directly distributed to UTM students on campus over seven days of implementation. This action confirms a structural commitment to student welfare by ensuring that a fundamental need is met, guaranteeing that students facing financial difficulties have reliable access to nutritious food.

By creating an active circular economy solution that involves community partners to divert hundreds of kilograms of food from landfills, the MYSavefood Ramadan Program maximizes resource utility, supports environmental sustainability, and provides tangible, immediate assistance to its student body, positioning it as a leading example of a holistic hunger intervention strategy.

Source :

https://news.utm.my/2024/04/kelab-gps-utm-bantu-pelajar-melalui-program-mysavefood-ramadan/