Inspiring from the Start: The origins of Our Malaysia

It all begin when passionate expats, Charlotte Ashton and Ellika Gabrielsson, identified a need and found a way to educate, inspire, and provide a life-long impact to HRIPHI refugee families in Malaysia.

For a number of years Charlotte and Ellika volunteered to teach young children english, math, and basic curriculum not otherwise available to the HRIPHI community. As they connected further with the HRIPHI students and families it became evident that it was common for children to drop out of school as young as 12 years old. These children became caretakers for their younger siblings and taking over household chores so both of their parents could find work outside of the HRIPHI community. As advocates for education, Charlotte and Ellika were determined to break the cycle and find a way to help the parents support their family both financially and be present so all of their children have the opportunity for a well-rounded education.

Ellika and Charlotte begin working with the women to develop their own business so their work hours can be flexible to care for the family. Sewing was a natural fit, and a couple of the women already had the skills to begin Our Malaysia’s first products: reusable shopping bags and batik aprons. With the help of Ellika and Charlotte the women were able to sell their products at Christmas Bazaars and school events.

It was a success from the start, and over time more women were inspired to join Our Malaysia in order to help their family. Our Malaysia offered a sewing workshops for 10 more women from the community and was able to provide 3 sewing machines and endless amount of fabric thanks to sponsorships.

What began as a way to help a few mothers work from home to care for her family and afford school fees quickly turned into a community-wide initiative empowering as many HRIPHI refugee women as possible. It is a true testament to Our Malaysia’s founders that the mission, the volunteers, and number of women impacted continues to grow.

Like most around the world, the years of the pandemic has been challenging, but as Malaysia begins to recover Our Malaysia is energized to share their handmade products at local bazaars and shops around town. Please follow us as we continue to share our story.