However, one organisation called SOLS 24/7 has been striving to end the cycle of poverty by providing education to those in most need of it.

SOLS 24/7, which stands for Science of Life Studies, teaches English to those who can’t read or write, and in recent months has expanded their services to include preparing underprivileged children for future careers.

In conjunction with International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, FMT caught up with SOLS 24/7’s founder, Raj Ridvan Singh to talk about the organisation he founded with his father and brother while in Cambodia.

“Cambodia was then the poorest country in Southeast Asia and it was shocking to us,” he says, describing the high unemployment rate and poverty there.

The genocide of Cambodian intelligentsia under Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime crippled the country’s education system, leaving many without a proper education.

He says he set up SOLS 24/7 to help the underprivileged there learn English and computer skills as it was next to impossible to secure a good job without one or both skills.

In 2010, upon returning to his hometown in Melaka, Raj realised that the B40 communities here were no better off than the Cambodians he helped.

“We started with the Orang Asli and Tamil communities in Malaysia. Our goal was the same: to help them acquire skills to secure jobs that would earn them a decent wage,” he says, adding they set up community centres to teach underprivileged youth English and computer skills.

In the interior regions of Sabah and Sarawak, SOLS 24/7 also set up academies to house and educate rural children.

Since the pandemic meant that in-person learning was no longer possible, SOLS 24/7 provided virtual classrooms to ensure no one missed out on their studies.

“Normally every year, we teach about 1,500 to 2,000 B40 youth in our community centres,” says Raj. “We were very shocked that by going online and running our classes, we managed to reach 55,000 B40 Malaysians.”

As many B40 families could not afford the digital devices to participate in online learning, Raj started a programme that provided digital devices to the Orang Asli who needed them.

However, the fact that many B40 people who are willing to learn are still deprived of internet connectivity continues to frustrate Raj.

He laments, “We get stuff delivered to our homes from China in three to 14 days. If Malaysians really wanted it, we could get a device in everybody’s hands within six months, but it’s been nearly two years since the pandemic started and that’s not happening.”

“We have the infrastructure; we have the money. We just don’t seem to have the inspiration or planning to facilitate digital learning.”

SOLS 24/7 provides all services to the underprivileged for free, and anyone of any age can participate in their programmes.

“We don’t discriminate. If someone wants to sign up for our classes, within three clicks on our website, they will be enrolled in their class of choice,” says Raj.

Their main target group is youth who are in need of career skills more than ever due to the current state of the job market.

Interestingly enough, SOLS 24/7 is not a volunteer-based organisation. Raj says the group believes in quality and consistency, which volunteers are sometimes unable to provide.

That said, SOLS 24/7 welcomes the services of professionals who have the time and commitment to help them achieve their goals.

Raj believes that up to 100,000 Malaysians have benefitted from their educational programmes.

“Honestly though, that’s a very small number. It’s just a drop in the ocean. I hope that in the next few years, we will be able to reach every single Malaysian child with our programmes.”

To this end, SOLS 24/7 is launching a free mobile app to provide English lessons to users.

“That is something we have been working hard on and the results look promising. Hopefully, when we launch the application, we will provide a system that allows Malaysians to help up to 30 or 40 others.”

The pandemic was tough on SOLS 24/7 as donations dwindled by the day. Despite this, Raj is determined to see their plans through.

Ever the optimist, he is quick to point out that because of the pandemic, digital learning became commonplace.

He says the pandemic also showed just how willing Malaysians were to help those in need.

“Malaysians are really amazing when they come together, and hopefully, we can give them a cause to champion. Together, we can help all Malaysians get out of the poverty cycle.”

For more information or to sign up for classes visit https://www.sols247.org/ or send a WhatsApp to 018-2121247.