Education, Empowerment, Environment: Taking Community Engagement to the Grassroots

Abstract

At the turn of the millennium in Year 2000, amidst the beginnings of what was seen as gripping
changes in Malaysia’s socio-political landscape, an idea to tackle deeply entrenched cultural
views and perspectives of Malaysian Indian women was seeded. In Year 2000, a ‘truth’
campaign began, which has since evolved into a series of sustainable direct-benefit community
engagement programmes within Malaysia and abroad, aimed at improving the self-image and
self- esteem of the young Malaysian Indian woman via the PEP Program and its associated
unique empowerment programs. This article examines the evolution of the PEP programme
which was conceived in year 2000 on a ad hoc basis and the impact it has had on its
stakeholders in the community, especially the young Indian woman.