Community Action Nexus Berhad Welcomes You

Our story...

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The idiom “charity begins at home” rings true with a community environmentalist who does not have to go far to answer a vocation to protect and conserve rivers and the environment.

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Kennedy Michael, who has been staying in Taman Melawati since 1978, is passionate about the environment and has participated in many conservation projects outside his neighborhood since 1997.

Entrepreneur Kennedy John Michael simply heads to the site where the Klang river flows in Taman Melawati to begin his cleaning and conservation mission.

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In 2018, he met a former Gombak district engineer, Mansor Abd Ghani, who shared the same passion.

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The two men were as different as chalk and cheese in their approach when it came to persuading local residents to care for the river and environment in Taman Melawati. But they did not let their mismatched personalities get in the way of the bigger goal.

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Ken and Mansor's ideas are poles apart. While Mansor believes in the soft approach and is all heart, Ken prefer using the stick.  

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During a casual conversation with a STAR Journalist, Mansor described their partnership as ‘speak softly but carry a big stick’,” Michael related with a laugh. Ken admitted that his no-nonsense approach has earned him the name “Big Stick” among volunteers.

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With Mansor as the patient teacher, Michael assume the role of disciplinary master.

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From their alliance, the Community Action Nexus Berhad was born.

It did not take too long before Taman Melawati residents had a tranquil spot of nature they could call their own.

The success was partly due to the GREduAction (Gotong-Royong Education by Action) programme they devised to teach volunteers/participants useful skills they could apply in other areas to bring about desired results.

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Kennedy described the GREduAction programme as gotong-royong with action, in which volunteers/participants not only learned to use tools properly in the two hours spent to conserve, protect and rehabilitate the river site surrounding the environment every Saturday but also picked up new knowledge on the need for Biodiversity and Ecosystem conservation.

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To make conservation more relevant to volunteers/participants, Kennedy uses examples that can be tied to their fields of study so that they could better understand the importance of a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration.

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Since the GREduAction programme began in July 2018, the Sungai Klang site in Taman Melawati has been transformed from an unsightly, dirty place into a beautiful spot with proper trails where visitors can appreciate nature at their leisure.

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Kennedy was delighted that our efforts have born fruit and expressed hope that more people would join in to help preserve Mother Nature.

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“It is a win for all of us, especially our volunteers/participants. To attain success in any endeavour, there must be combined efforts from the community at large", said Ken to The STAR journalist during the interview session.  

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For his efforts, Kennedy Michael is recognised as one of the 10 winners of Star Golden Hearts Award 2020, an annual award that celebrates everyday Malaysian unsung heroes.