We believe in producing students who will not only give value to the organizations they serve but also to the society at large” Engaging in active CSR efforts that promote change and progress throughout society, which in turn benefits the country at large, MSU Malaysia is Asia’s 217th QS world Ranked University, through their representative Management and Science Institute (MSI), have undertaken an initiative to build awareness of the methods of prevention and eradication of some of the key health issues faced in the country at present. These comprise of educating the public of the dangers and prevention of Dengue that has become a major health hazard in many parts of the country over the past few years, and the minimizing of waste and junk foods.

Prevention of Dengue: MSI initiated several awareness building campaigns throughout the country to educate the public on the dangers posed by dengue and addressed the steps that can be taken to prevent its progression. The team carried out door to door campaigns as well as using virtual platforms as an interactive online learning tool to highlight the risks of exposure to dengue. This online learning tool made the education on mosquito control both flexible and accessible to a wide audience in the country. MSI also collaborated with leading hospitals in the country, as well as with the National Dengue Control Unit, who are a part of the national dengue control program initiated by Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka. Mr.Piyavi Wijewardena, Project President MSI said “Our team carried out these campaigns to help our communities gain a better knowledge in understanding the preventive methods that can be adopted to avoid the spread of Dengue.

He added that “protection against mosquitoes has to be a shared effort between the government and the community and this is why we joined hands with the National Dengue Control Unit in the country for this project. He further explained that MSI will also work on facilitating research and development projects in this sphere. Zero Waste: The goal of the Zero Waste project was carried out to encourage the redesign of products being reused, that will culminate in minimizing trash. The end result to be achieved through this project was to use virtually everything that homes produce to be recycled or re-used in some way, thereby eliminating 95-98% of all potential waste destined for landfill. The team at MSI educated the public on cultivating mindfulness in preventing the use of plastic and polythene in their homes thereby ensuring that all the products are reused, repaired or recycled back into nature or the marketplace.

Mr.Saajid Mukeeth, president of the student council of MSI, affirmed that through this project, students not only learned leadership, the art of presentation, collaboration and teamwork, but also the ability to explore issues and solutions to protect our climate and environment . Zero Junk: The MSI CSR team also educated people on the harmful effects of Junk food and their adverse effects on health and introduced healthy eating meal plans and how to modify their eating habits. Well known experts in the country in this area, such as Prof.Ranil Dassanayake from the University of Colombo were also a part of this awareness building exercise. . Mr.Piyavi Wijewardena, commented “ When junk food is consumed very often, the excess fat, carbohydrates and processed sugar found in junk food contributes to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and many other chronic health conditions. For children, regularly consuming fattening junk food can lead to complications like obesity, chronic illness, as well as affecting how they perform in school and extracurricular activities. Therefore we wanted to build awareness amongst the public, specially the younger generation on this issue. We hope such awareness building programs will help lead to a healthier Sri Lanka. “ Mr.D. S. Peiris Director of MSI stated “CSR is an important area that we need to teach and engage our students, along with the qualifications and degrees we help them attain.

By involving our students in important CSR activities, we believe in producing students who will not only give value to the organizations they serve but also to the society at large” He added that CSR programs of this nature, would also provide to be a good learning ground for students studying for MSU’s Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons) to carry out research into these issues and in coming up with relevant scientific solutions for these problems. It will also help students put their knowledge gained into practical use and gain valuable experience.

For further information on programmes offered by MSI, kindly visit Management & Science institute(MSI) at No.300 Galle Road, Colombo 03 Tel: 011 257 6900 / 011 257 6700 Hot line 077 0777 880 or email [email protected] or www.msi.edu.lk & www.msu.edu.my