The founder of K.I.D.S, Mazuin Mohd Ismail, was inspired to do this project when a street child approached her taxi late one night in Jakarta, back in 2008. Incredibly moved, she decided to do a thorough ethnographic study on the street children of Malaysia as her masters dissertation. From then on, there was no turning back.
An opportunity arose while Mazuin was doing her reseach : a new television programme called Sejuta impian. Its a new reality show on TV3 where contestants present their idea and the judges decide whether or not to give you money to realize your dream. Here's the catch : the project has to be beneficial to the community.
Needless to say, Mazuin got the money she asked for.
Now she needed a team.
And for that, she looked no further than her circle of friends.
Some of us were in from the start, helping Mazuin with her research.
Some of us were called in when Mazuin needed a different perspective.
Some of us joined in after supporting her during the Sejuta Impian recording.
K.I.D.S Malaysia became a nationally registered non-profit organization in May 2011.
Our first trip to Semporna was in December 2011, recruiting over 400 street children on our first visit alone.
By early 2012 we commenced our Street School Program, targeting children aged 5 to 15 years old.
Two other programs are currently being developed, namely Street-smart Nutrition and Street-wise Healthcare, which will be commenced by mid 2012.