Cover Lee Swee Lin, Kim Lin and Suzanne Ling (Photo: Khairul Imran/Tatler Malaysia)
Lee Swee Lin, Kim Lin and Suzanne Ling (Photo: Khairul Imran/Tatler Malaysia)
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Honourees on The Impact List 2020, Lee Swee Lin, Kim Lim & Suzanne Ling were volunteering at a refugee learning centre when they came up with PichaEats to help more students stay in school
At first, it was an effort to enable their students to maintain their education in a refugee learning centre they volunteered at as tutors in 2013. Kim Lim, Suzanne Ling and Lee Swee Lin cooked up a plan to have the refugees sell home-cooked meals to their fellow university mates, which allowed these families to earn their own income while enabling their children to continue their studies.
See also: Introducing Asia's Most Influential: The Impact List 2020
The very first chef they approached with this idea was one of their students’ mothers, a Burmese woman whose son, Picha, would ultimately become the namesake of one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 companies. Seven years later, they have now partnered with 20 chefs from Syria, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq and Pakistan, and have served over 135,000 meals prepared by the refugees themselves. Despite being affected by the pandemic-induced lockdown, PichaEats was quick to respond, launching their ready-to-heat meals to expand not only their delivery services but also their e-commerce platform as well.
Built upon wanting to give the refugees a new lease of life, PichaEats intends to become the bridge that shares their stories to the world. “One of our biggest hopes is that Picha can become a role model for social enterprises in Asia. If 10 companies on the other side of the world sees the value and the good that can be done with this model, that means 10 more communities get the help they need,” says Lim.
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Usually found at home and one with her couch, Koy Yi would either crack open a good book or game in her spare time to wind down after a long day. She also loves to scour art conventions and book fairs alike when she's able, collecting art books of all regions to gain inspiration for her own illustrations. With a keen interest in people and the stories they tell, she enjoys a good talk and a good laugh (preferably over food). Follow her on her Instagram @peiyi57.
