300 from Youth Squad help plant trees around Kajang Prison

The Star, Sunday March 17, 2013

KAJANG: As many as 300 volunteers from the Home Ministry's Youth Squad planted trees and painted Kajang Prison walls in an effort to instil the gotong-royong culture. 

 

The plan is to have some 100,000 trees planted in all 46 prisons throughout the country, said Prisons Department deputy commissioner Ibrisam Abdul Rahman.

He said the campaign, dubbed the “wave of volunteerism”, started earlier this month.

“The ministry's target is to plant one million trees by all its agencies throughout the country,” he said.

Giving back: Volunteers from the Home Ministry’s Youth Squad helping to paint the Kajang Prison walls.

 

Prisons deputy director-general (Security and Correctional) Datuk Hassan Sakimon said the gotong-royong culture needed to be kept alive by the younger generation.

“Such volunteerism programmes provide the opportunity for the young to contribute to the community while filling up their free time with beneficial activities.

“I believe the encouragement and opportunities offered by volunteerism is significant in shaping the young to adopt good values, build self-esteem and be competitive and progressive,” he said, adding that the campaign was in line with the National Volunterism Year.