A social enterprise in Malaysia is hoping to use the culinary expertise of refugees to not only improve lives, but also to break down barriers and change discriminatory attitudes
Malaysia is a food nation. This was never more evident than in April of this year when UK MasterChef judge Greg Wallace described a contestant’s chicken rendang as “not crispy”. Malaysians all over reacted in horror at the comment and leapt to the defense of Malaysian-born contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin, causing a social media storm that even saw the creation of the Facebook page Justice for Chicken Rendang.
If there is one thing that can unite Malaysians, it is food. And that is exactly what the Picha Project is banking on.
The social enterprise, launched in 2016, wants to empower marginalised communities in Malaysia through a sustainable food catering and delivery service.
The organisation is named after a three-year-old refugee from Myanmar named Pita (pronounced Picha).
“We met Pita when we were volunteering in a refugee learning centre and got to know the community,” said Kim Lim, who founded the project alongside Swee Lin and Suzanna Ling.
“Seeing that many kids were forced to drop out of school due to financial constraints back home, [we] thought something sustainable had to happen. Knowing that most of the mothers from the refugee community could cook, we tasted their food and thought that it would be great to be able to sell [it], so we started [the Picha Project],” Kim said.
Picha now works with 11 mothers – including Pita’s – from five countries. They come from the troubled or war-torn nations of Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq and Myanmar, where they face some kind of persecution. For them, the Picha Project is a valuable lifeline.
Half of the revenue earned from catering events goes to the families, and the other half goes toward funding the project, including operations, transportation and packaging.
“We get refugees on board based on word of mouth or the communities that we know,” Kim said. “We tell them what we do, taste their food and vet their attitudes to make sure they are the right fit for Picha. Cooking at home helps [the refugees to] be safe, and also the orders they deliver will help them sustain their households – for example, paying rent, electricity and water bills, also sending their kids to school.”
There are over 158,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Malaysia, of which 73,900 are Rohingya from Myanmar. According to the Borgen Project, a US-based non-profit, many refugees in Malaysia “lack access to legal employment and formal education”. While they are able to access public and private healthcare, many are stymied by high costs and language barriers.
“Refugees are very much being discriminated [against] in our country [and] there’s no legal framework for them as well,” Kim said.
She added: “Sometimes, Malaysians regard them as people who bring disease into the country, dirty, or people who are here to steal our jobs. I believe Picha can definitely use sustainable solutions to bring awareness and acceptance [to] Malaysia.”
Aside from catering for events, the Picha Project hosts open houses with themes such as speed dating for Valentine’s Day, a forum on International Women’s Day and appetiser showcases during Hari Raya – the day that marks the end of Ramadan. It allows the communities to come together and try traditional foods from all around the world.
“Food is just like music, it connects people very easily,” Kim said. “[It] represents culture as well, therefore it is easier to converse and showcase culture through food. Malaysians love and appreciate food anyway, therefore using food as the connector was kind of a no-brainer.”
In recognition of World Refugee Day, the World Bank Hub in Malaysia celebrates two years of partnership with the Picha Project, a social enterprise that provides refugees in Kuala Lumpur an opportunity to earn income by catering traditional food for events.
I often get so wrapped up in my little life that I forget about the bigger picture out there. Two weeks ago, thanks to Nuffnang, I had the privilege of attending a “dinner organised by Picha Project”.
I was really swamped, and all I knew was that it would be a buffet-style dinner and that the dress code was evening casual!
When I arrived, KL was having a massive traffic jam (what’s new, right?), and the organisers announced that dinner would start at 8pm instead of 7pm, to allow time for the other guests to arrive. (Thank God for appetisers. Chinese weddings should really learn from them.)
There was a big standee at the entrance describing what the Picha Project does, and I wondered for a moment if it were a not-for-profit organisation. Later on, after I chatted with the founders - 3 lovely girls - I learnt that they are a for profit organisation. Rather than giving away fish, they were focused on teaching people how to fish.
The key word here is “empowerment”.
The Picha Project is a catering and food delivery service. Their food is cooked by the refugees from war-torn countries like Syria, who are then able to earn a decent living.
Did you know that refugees are not allowed to work in Malaysia nor attend schools?
It was really an eye-opener for me.
That night, one of the refugees shared her story. To protect her privacy, we will just call her Mrs. P.
Mrs. P arrived in Malaysia about a year ago, with her husband and 4-year-old son. She spoke of Syria as a beautiful place, until the bombings started. It was heartbreaking seeing the photos of rubble and unrecognisable buildings. They knew they had to leave when she lost her family members due to the bombings.
Her husband was promised housing, education and jobs if they came to Malaysia, but upon arrival, they soon discovered that these were unverified promises, and they had nowhere to live. They literally lived on the streets.
When the 3 founders of The Picha Project, who were volunteering at a refugee-aid organisation then, heard about the plight of these refugees, they felt very strongly the urge to do something. They founded The Picha Project and that is how it all began.
One year later, Mrs. P and her husband had come a long way. They had a small but decent earning, and a roof over their heads.
Then Mrs. P’s husband suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised. It was cancer. He unexpectedly passed away after 2 months.
Mrs. P was calm as she related her story to us. It was only a few months ago that she had lost her husband, and it was evident that she was a strong woman, brave and resolute.
Hearing this story put so much perspective into my life. It’s easy to get caught up with the little irritations, and feel miserable and grumpy about things that don’t go our way, but really:
Life is really beautiful if we acknowledge the abundant blessings we have.
It’s important to stay connected with others, because there’s so much to be learnt. Every interaction is a lesson and an opportunity to gain so much perspective in life.
I’m just glad that I found mine that night.
As an ex-expatriate and management consultant in an international firm, Grace was a career-minded woman on a fast-track path in the corporate world. The birth of her first child changed her perspectives in entirety, and she made the life-changing decision of becoming a stay-at-home mum. In addition to being one of Malaysia’s top digital influencers on Nuffnang’s Bloggerati list, she is a Dr. Sears Certified Health Coach and the founder of Little Baby Grains and Petite Troopers.
