‘Riang Ria Rabu’ as a community engagement and empowerment programme in the hospital setting

Abstract

Riang Ria Rabu (RRR) is a unique programme for children in the hospital, pioneered by the
Department of Paediatrics, School of Medical Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). It is a
weekly programme designed to provide a platform for and promote voluntarism spirit among the
organisational staff, students and general public to contribute back to the community,
particularly children being hospitalised for treatment. Aiming to entertain paediatrics patients
during their hospitalisation, RRR engages volunteers to organise different playful and fun
activities for the children. It serves as a tool for children to enjoy ‘play time’ during the admission
in the hospital notwithstanding their disease prognostication. For volunteers, RRR provides
opportunity for experiential learning through interaction with children at different ages with
different socioeconomic background and problems. Sustainability of the programme is achieved
by integrating RRR into undergraduate medical students’ curriculum. RRR has enormous
potential benefit for both the children and volunteers involved by improving socio-emotional wellbeing of the former and nurturing volunteerism and humanistic spirit on the latter.