Amidst a global crisis, brothers Ian and Aaron Hashim started @the10ringgitproject in 2020 to support those in need
Founded on the belief that every little bit goes a long way, The 10 Ringgit Project began with two brothers Ian and Aaron Hashim and their humble quest to raise RM1,000 for underprivileged children.
Along with all their classmates at Cempaka International School Damansara Heights, Ian and Aaron were forced to conduct their studies at home during the first wave of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia in 2020. Instead of sitting idly at home, the brothers were convinced that they could do their part to help.
With the support and supervision of their parents, their @the10ringgitproject Instagram account went live in May 2020 and within 24 hours, they collected their target amount thanks to the donations of peers, family members and friends.
“We chose 10 ringgit because we wanted to raise funds from our friends in school, who could give out of their allowances,” says 15-year-old Ian. “We thought 10 ringgit was an amount that our friends could afford. Of course, we welcomed bigger donations from those who could give more.”
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Encouraged by the response, the brothers were curious to see how far they could go with this fundraising initiative. By the second day, Aaron and Ian had collected RM4,500, and they started marking each milestone with an Instagram post.
Between tracking funds on spreadsheets and updating Instagram daily, the brothers also had to maintain focus on their school work and swimming training. But multitasking, as it happens, was a skill they’d developed very early on when attending primary school in California, where their family resided for six years.
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“When we lived in America, every year we would volunteer in a food bank, at school, or at the public library helping to sort books,” shares Aaron, who turns 13 this year.
“It was like a family tradition for us to get involved in community service,” adds Ian. “When we moved back to Malaysia, we decided to get involved with our community here. We wanted to help those who could benefit from this, and that's why we started this project.”
By May 2020, the siblings had collected RM16K for non-profit charity organisation, BAKASA (Badan Amal Kasih Sayang Malaysia). On October 17, 2020, they collected another RM17K, which they donated to Hospital Duchess of Kent in Sabah.
Ian and Aaron share their biggest takeaways from this exciting journey.
