How Chevening alumni are improving health and literacy in Malaysia

By aligning the project’s strategies with local customs and concerns, the team gained the trust and active participation of community members, fostering an environment that encouraged learning and change.  

In Malaysia, indigenous communities face significant health challenges, including high levels of vaccine hesitancy and limited understanding of the importance of early childhood speech and literacy development.  

To help bridge this gap, Chevening Alumni Malaysia Health Hub, supported by the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF), launched Project Healthy Futures, empowering communities with tools and knowledge to take charge of their health. 

The project set out to:  

  1. Increase awareness of the HPV vaccine and its role in preventing cervical cancer among indigenous communities  
  2. Promote awareness of speech, language and literacy development for children and adolescents  
  3. Empower indigenous community leaders to raise health awareness within their communities, building local capacity for health advocacy  

Launched in August 2024, the project delivered interactive sessions on HPV prevention and early childhood development.

By partnering with indigenous leaders, alumni helped create workshops and educational materials in local languages. This made sure the messages were respectful, meaningful, and connected to local culture.

Because the team listened to community traditions and needs, people trusted them and got involved. This built a positive space for learning and change.

Two months later, a major outreach event in Tapah, Perak brought: 

  • Engaging HPV education sessions, with open Q&A 
  • Free speech-language screenings for children 
  • HPV vaccination clinics for community members aged 9 to 45 years 

So far, more than 200 indigenous people have received the HPV vaccine as a result of the project, in partnership with the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM).

The results of the project are already promising:

  • More girls want to get vaccinated. 100 have signed up through NCSM’s ongoing program.

  • 73 participants now have a better understanding of health and prevention.

  • Culturally relevant learning materials are being shared widely across communities

Through the empowerment of local leaders and working through trusted partnerships, Project Healthy Futures has laid the groundwork for a sustainable, community-driven model of health advocacy and health education.