Kuala Lumpur, 30 Aug – 7-Eleven Malaysia recently carried out its latest CSR initiative by bringing a group of Malaysian Girl Guides from the PPR KL community on a city-walking trip within Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with Yellow House KL (YHKL) and its start-up, NGOHub Asia.
The Unseen Tours is a series of city-walking tours created, designed and run by YHKL, with the help of street sleepers-turned-tour guides. Launched earlier last year by founder Shyam Priah, it is a unique and first-of-its-kind innovation that aims to give street sleepers employment opportunities by training them to become tour guides and uplift the quality of their lives. Since it was launched, more than 300 tourists have made bookings.
With the nation’s 62nd National Day around the corner, the activity embraced the spirit of patriotism and educated the youth about the city. Before embarking on a journey of learning and discovery, the girl guides were given Malaysian flags and a safety briefing by the YHKL tour guides. From the bustling Chinatown, the participants visited Central Market, then a wet market and now refurbished to be one of the city’s most prominent cultural bazaars. River of Life – the river surrounding the city’s oldest mosque, Masjid Jamek – was next on the list. From there, the group took ‘wefies’ with each other at one of the country’s most important landmarks, Merdeka Square, where Malaysia declared independence in 1957. At each of the landmarks, they were given a brief and informative summary on the historical facts of the location.
Through this tour, the youth were fully immersed in learning about Malaysia’s capital city and cultural melting pot. Under the morning sunshine, they sauntered through the city’s numerous well-known cultural sites and were exposed to different places of worship such as Masjid Jamek, Sri Mahamariamman Temple and Sin Sze Si Ya Temple. The last pit stop of the day was the Old Market Square – also known as Medan Pasar – where the activity concluded with the participants being served 7-Eleven Malaysia’s fresh and ready-to-eat meals alongside other treats and goodie bags.
“Malaysia is an amalgam of many different cultures from various ethnic groups. We believe this exploration and exposure helps to build a sense of national unity, which has always been a recurring theme in Malaysia and even more significantly during the National Day celebrations. We hope that the girl guides will continue to learn more about the local attractions and historical sites of the country, and share their knowledge with their loved ones and friends of all races, towards a more united, multicultural Malaysia. This is after all what the National Day celebration is about – all races who are living harmoniously uniting together to honor the nation’s independence”, said Ronan Lee, 7-Eleven Malaysia General Marketing Manager.
