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Friday, July 16, 2004
He’s got IT, but chooses to help othersBy CECIL FUNG
FOR someone who became a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer when he was only 17, Raj Ridvan Singh does not appear like a typical “IT guy”. Perhaps, it is because he is not into information technology now. For the past four years, 21-year-old Raj has been working in Cambodia as a full time social worker. “In Cambodia, many youngsters, especially girls, do not have access to proper education mainly due to poverty and a shortage in infrastructure, resources, schools and teachers,” he told The Star in a recent interview. Together with his father Madenjit Singh and brother Dhinu Dhanver Singh, he co-founded the Leadership and Character Development Institute (LCDI) in 2000 as a non-governmental organisation that provides free and practical education to poor and underprivileged youths in Cambodia. Unlike others his age who are in the “rat race”, Raj, a Youth Action Net Award winner, looks at life from a different perspective. “Money drives a lot of people, but is that all there is to life? I feel the satisfaction is greater in being able to make a difference,” said Raj. The Net award, supported by the International Youth Foundation and mobile phone giant Nokia, is given to youths worldwide who make a difference. It comes with a RM1,900 prize to help fund their projects. According to Raj, more than 1,800 youths in Cambodia had benefited from LCDI’s programmes that help build self-reliance and equip them with employable skills. “If possible, we would like to have LCDI do the same for Malaysian youths should the Government, particularly the Youth and Sports Ministry, be interested in our work,” he said. Having turned down a well-paying IT-related job, Raj sees just one advantage his Microsoft certification course has given him – he can now type faster. Raj can be reached at raj@lcdi.org. Those interested in finding out more about LCDI can also log on to www.lcdi.org.
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