Who needs food? We all do! Food is fuel!
YouthPREP Centre’s (YPC) imperative is to make sure no students go through their day on an empty stomach. Yet, while many of our youth out there may not be “hungry” in the sense that they are not suffering physical discomfort caused by a lack of dietary energy, they may still be food insecure.
YPC,
a drop-in Centre is strategically located in Alamesra, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah which seems to be the Education Hub with 9 tertiary education institutions situated within 1 kilometer radius. The Centre has started the Food Bank initiative since 2016 with an average of 80 students (monthly) in the vicinity having either walked-in or received dry food provisions through food distribution. However, this number does not reflect the reality as YPC is only able to meet the needs of students based on the budget allocated. For this reason, they are only allowed once or twice a month of provisions to ensure equal opportunities for other students.
As far as we are aware, many might have access to food just to get by the day or in other words as ‘alas perut’ or will have what they presumed to be ‘just enough’ or ‘cukup-cukup makan’, yet they are uncertain to how long it will last, or they may be forced to reduce the quality and/or quantity of the food they eat in order live from day to day.
What may seem to be endurable can contribute to various forms of malnutrition and it is often overlooked or not known by many that studies have shown those experiencing food insecurity can increase the likelihood of having a range of mental health conditions. The stress of living with uncertain access to food and going periods without food can lead to physiological changes and affect academic performance among students.
And now with the recent price hikes and inflation, not many realize that it is also affecting our youth just as much as they are struggling to cope with their monthly expenses and personal needs. The focus was put on working adults simply because young people are commonly assumed to have less financial commitments but this is not the case. Typically, a student monthly expenses comprised of:
- Rent: RM350 - RM450
- Groceries/Meals: RM200 - RM400
- Top-up/phone bill: RM40 - RM80
- Stationeries: RM30 - RM50
- Transport: RM30 - RM100
- Others: RM100 - RM150
TOTAL: RM 750- RM 1230
For such an amount, students coming from rural areas are hit harder by the cost of city living crisis. Facing ‘significantly higher’ costs than their urban counterparts, YPC is frequented by students from Lahad Datu, Tawau, Telupid, Ranau, Keningau and Tambunan among others. During these times of uncertainty, we hope to have enough to support our young people and give some assurance to reduce food insecurity amongst them.
Again, thank you for your generous support to our funding campaign. Your giving spirit makes a difference as we continue to provide food assistance to the youths out there.
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