About 30 US sailors and 12 from the Malaysian military took part in the “Jom Bekpes” event organised by charitable organisation Institute Onn Ja’afar (IOJ).

They served food and provided aid to the children who entertained them with stories and songs.

The programme was held to mark a visit by the US hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19), which is on a tour of the region.

The children were from Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih, KL Krash Pad and Pusat Aktiviti Kanak-Kanak, the latter two set up by Yayasan Chow Kit.

Deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy, Dean Thompson, said the participation of the ship’s personnel in the event demonstrated the importance of working together to help those in need.

Malaysian Joint Forces headquarters assistant chief of staff J7, First Admiral Chan Peng Cheong, welcomed sharing special time with the children together with the US personnel.

“This is one way for the military to show our care and concern for every level of society, especially underprivileged children,” he said.

IOJ CEO Charles Mohan said the organisation had been looking forward to working with the military on the Bekpes campaign since last year.

“Working with volunteers is so much easier because we don’t have to go through protocol, but I was wrong to think that it’s hard to work with the military as they have been very supportive and cooperative,” he added.