Sunway University's Desa Mentari Project Featured in The Sun

When Professor Dr Mahendhiran Sanggaran Nair, currently Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Sustainability) at Sunway University, first visited the Desa Mentari flats known as Project Perumahan Rakyat (PPR), occupied by residents from the B-40 community, his first thoughts were to transform the community through student-led initiatives.

Over three years, from 2022, the public housing scheme, located along the Federal Highway in Klang Valley, has been part of a community initiative led by 1,800 Sunway University students. They are supported by the Tan Sri Sir Dr Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. Community service has also successfully been embedded into the course curriculum for the university.

“The Sunway students are privileged to receive a good education. However, I believe with privilege comes responsibility, and with their education and opportunities, they too can make a difference in improving the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, especially when they are located so close to Sunway University,” he said.

Fast forward to 2025, the Sunway Desa Mentari Community Development Programme today has helped transform the community of more than 26,000 residents, where households earn less than RM5,000, into resilient communities through various youth skills development programmes.

Plans for equipping children and youth with ICT skills, financial literacy, language communication, culinary arts and food safety, basic coding and AI literacy will ensure their confidence and self-esteem improve with time.

This article is an excerpt from a full-length article by The Sun. To read the full article, please visit the link below