KUALA LUMPUR: Disadvantaged youngsters in the Chow Kit area now have access to the Internet, via a specially built “wireless broadband room” at Rumah Nur Salam, a children’s shelter.
The room, named Access@Nur Salam, houses nine desktop computers that will be used to help the kids develop computing skills and enhance their learning.
Telecommunications service provider Ericsson Malaysia built Access@Nur Salam and will maintain the facility, while another telecommunications company, Maxis Communications Bhd, will provide free broadband service.
Computer and Internet classes are held regularly in the room; there are three basic classes, held on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, for about 18 students (aged from 7 to 13) each time.
Ericsson Malaysia employees and their spouses are also actively involved in several voluntary programmes at Rumah Nur Salam. This includes teaching computer classes, organising arts and crafts workshops, and providing language lessons for the children at the shelter.
Datuk Dr Halim Shafie, chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM), said the initiative will benefit the children and support SKMM’s and various other government projects aimed at bridging the “digital divide.” The divide is the gap between the technology haves and have nots.
Krishna Kumar, president and country manager of Ericsson Malaysia, said: “These children are an apt example of a community living in the middle of Kuala Lumpur with its developed infrastructure and yet, having no access to ICT (information and communications technology) and the opportunity to benefit from it.”
“Broadband access is key for socio-economic growth of a society, ” he added.
Rumah Nur Salam was established in October 2006 under the umbrella of Yayasan Salam Malaysia, a national non-government organisation.
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