As recognition, too, of their unwavering dedication as a member of the Forest Interactive family, #HelpOurOwn reached Mikail Iman, a previous beneficiary of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s LEVEL UP @ SCHOOLS program in 2019, sponsored by Forest Interactive; Jumariah Binti Muhamat,  an office cleaner at Forest Interactive HQ for the past 10 years; and Suherman, a contract cleaner for the Bandung office.  

The Story of Mikail

Mikail received a laptop in 2019 from Forest Interactive, following a LEVEL UP @ SCHOOLS workshop where the company learned about his passion for game development and his family’s financial challenges.  

Fast forward to today, due to movement and travel restrictions in previous years, his laptop is in his brother's possession in Singapore and Mikail is currently using a smartphone for his online classes. Given the urgency as a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidate to have convenient access to home-based learning (PDPR), Forest Interactive donated a Samsung tablet as a learning tool for Mikail and as a part of an extension of his educational journey.  

The tablet is also well-equipped with free English improvement Android applications to encourage a stronger command of the language, including WordUp!, LearnEnglish, and Grammar, all of which can be extended into paid versions upon request in the future. Aside from empowering his command of English, the tablet also hosts upskilling subscriptions to Udemy and Coursera to help him explore other niches and skills.  

Empowerment through Language Mastery

The next beneficiary for this #HelpOurOwn campaign is Jumariah, or more affectionately known in the Forest Interactive HQ as Kak Bed, a cleaner who has been working for the company for a decade in Kuala Lumpur.

Similar to Mikail, the lack of access to proper equipment and devices has hindered her daughter's remote learning. This drew Forest Interactive to donate a Samsung tablet to her family, to facilitate her daughter’s studies, and to empower her with apps akin to those installed on Mikail’s tablet, for her personal use, practice, and hopefully, empower her to be more confident in communicating in English.

In a Time of Dire Need

This targeted campaign also included the Bandung office in Indonesia, where Forest Interactive Indonesia, powered by Forest Interactive Foundation, donated a laptop to Suherman’s son, Adriansyah Pratama Putra, also known as Rian.  

Rian is a tenth-grade student at SMK Negeri 10 Bandung, who has a great passion for Sundanese art, Karawitan music, and games. Ever since the transition to pandemic forced the mode of education to go virtual, his father could not afford to provide him with a laptop for his online classes.

To make matters worse, his wife was diagnosed with cancer, placing Suherman as the only breadwinner in the household. Forest Interactive donated a laptop to Rian, as well as sought out increased work opportunities for Suherman, to help ease his burden.

Through its various CSR and charity programs, Forest Interactive has shown ongoing support in efforts to address social inequalities. For more information, visit forestcares.org.