Exercise 1: Market Research (Wong Anna_0138488)

1. What is the name of the NGO chosen?

The name of the NGO chosen is SUKA Society, formally registered as Persatuan Kebajikan Suara Kanak-Kanak Malaysia (SUKA Society, n.d.).

2. What is the meaning of the NGO’s name?

SUKA Society abbreviated two Malay words, “Suara” and “Kanak-kanak” to form “SUKA”. The words translated in English means “CHILDREN” and “VOICES” (SUKA Society, n.d.).

3. When was it established?

SUKA Society was established on October 22, 2010 (SUKA Society, n.d.).

4. What is the legal status of the NGO?

SUKA Society is a legally recognized non-profit organization under Malaysian law, dedicated to child welfare advocacy (SUKA Society, n.d.).

5. Where is the NGO headquartered?

SUKA Society is headquartered in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia (SUKA Society, n.d.).

6. Who are the founders behind the NGO?

The founder behind the SUKA Society is Anderson Selvasegaram, a child rights advocate with over two decades of experience in social work. He was inspired by his early involvement in church-based child welfare programs and later collaborations with Dr. James Nayagam, a prominent human rights commissioner (Selvasegaram, n.d.).

7. How is the NGO structured?

SUKA Society is structured by a board of directors, a team of full-time staff, program managers, social workers, and volunteers. It also employs full-time staff, program managers, and volunteers, with partnerships extending to government agencies such as SUHAKAM (Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) (SUKA Society, n.d.).

8. Why was the NGO created?

SUKA Society was created to advocate for the survival, protection, participation, and development of all children. Besides that, SUKA Society also want to Provide therapeutic, welfare and community development programmes for children who are at risk and for their families, and empower young people to do good by encouraging self-initiated projects that protect and preserve those in need (SUKA Society, n.d.).

9. How has the NGO’s focus evolved since its inception?

SUKA Society has focused on child abuse prevention, it expanded its scope to include education access for Orang Asli children, anti-trafficking rehabilitation, and advocacy for detained refugee children, reflecting a holistic approach to child welfare (SUKA Society, n.d.).

10. What are the NGO’s priority work areas?

SUKA Society’s priority work areas are creating greater access to education for Orang Asli children, protecting and restoring women and child survivors of human trafficking, and advocating for alternatives to detention for children affected by arrest and detention (SUKA Society, n.d.).

11. Who benefits from SUKA Society’s programmes?

Orang Asli children, refugee children and their families, children in immigration detention centres, marginalised children in low-cost flats and slum areas, and women and child survivors of human trafficking in protection shelters benefit from SUKA Society’s programmes (SUKA Society, n.d.).

12. What were the major milestones in the NGO’s history?

In 2015, SUKA Society received the United Nations Malaysia Award for inclusive development. In 2018, SUKA Society awarded the Star Golden Hearts Award for its Orang Asli teacher training program. In 2023, SUKA Society partnered with FBS to refurbish a community learning centre in Sabah (SUKA Society, n.d.).

13. When did the NGO experience significant growth or challenges, and why?

SUKA Society faced its most critical growth period in 2015 after receiving the United Nations Malaysia Award for inclusive development, which amplified its credibility and partnerships with international agencies. However, the NGO has consistently struggled with funding dependencies, relying heavily on public donations and corporate sponsorships like its ongoing collaboration with DKSH Malaysia for Orang Asli education programs. Challenges intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, when fieldwork restrictions hindered access to marginalized communities, particularly trafficking survivors in protection shelters (International Detention Coalition, 2015)

14. What pivotal events redirected or strengthened the NGO’s cause?

The 2015 UN Award marked a turning point, enabling SUKA Society to expand its Empowered2Teach (E2T) program from 7 to 14 indigenous preschools by 2023. Another pivotal moment was the 2023 partnership with FBS, which funded the refurbishment of a Sabah learning centre, addressing SDG 4 (Quality Education) through infrastructure improvements. Additionally, the Mount Kinabalu Charity Climb in 2015 raised awareness and resources for anti-trafficking initiatives (International Detention Coalition, 2015).

15. How can individuals support SUKA Society?

Public contributions include donations, volunteering, and participation in events like charity climbs, with funds directly supporting preschools for indigenous communities (SUKA Society, n.d.).

16. What resources does SUKA Society provide publicly?

The NGO offers free educational materials and training guides for government agencies and NGOs, promoting scalable solutions for child protection (SUKA Society, n.d.).

17. How does SUKA Society advocate for policy change?

Through UN engagements and local workshops, the organization pushes for alternatives to child detention and improved protections for trafficking survivors (SUKA Society, n.d.).

18. What pivotal events redirected or strengthened the NGO’s cause?

The Ramadan Aid Project (2025), distributing food packs to refugees, exemplifies SUKA Society’s adaptive response to humanitarian crises. This campaign strengthened its alignment with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) while maintaining its child protection mandate. Corporate partnerships, like the DKSH mural project in Orang Asli preschools (2023), further solidified its community-based education model (FBS, 2025).

19. What were the NGO’s most notable campaigns in the past two years?

In 2024, FBS Partnership refurbished a Sabah learning centre, providing school kits and classrooms. In 2025, Ramadan Aid Project distributed food packs to refugees and trafficking survivors (FBS, 2025).

20. How did these campaigns align with its mission, and what measurable impact did they achieve?

The FBS project advanced SDG 4 (Education) by improving infrastructure, while the Ramadan project addressed SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 16 (Justice), aligning with SUKA’s goals of empowerment and protection. (FBS, 2025)

21. What makes SUKA Society special compared to other NGOs?

SUKA Society does really good work because they train local people to be teachers through their Empowered2Teach program. This means the children learn in a way that makes sense for their culture. They also work with big organizations like the United Nations, which helps them do more good things for kids (SUKA Society, n.d.).

22. Why is SUKA Society better than some other groups helping children?

What's cool about SUKA Society is they don't just help kids in one way. They both teach children and help those who have been through really bad experiences. This makes their help more complete and lasts longer than groups that only do one thing (International Detention Coalition, 2015).

23. What problems does SUKA Society have?

The biggest problem is they never know how much money they'll get. When COVID-19 came, they had to stop many activities because donations went down. This makes it hard to plan for the future or help more children (SUKA Society, n.d.).

24. How do SUKA Society's challenges compare to larger NGOs like UNICEF?

While global organizations like UNICEF benefit from substantial government funding and international recognition, SUKA Society faces greater challenges in scaling its programs due to its smaller size and local focus. The NGO's annual budget is approximately 5% of UNICEF Malaysia's allocation, forcing difficult choices about which communities to serve and limiting the reach of effective programs like their foster care system for refugee children (SUKA Society, n.d.).

Summary

Doing this research helped me understand how NGOs like SUKA Society work to help children. At first, I didn’t know much about NGOs, but now I see how important they are for protecting vulnerable groups like Orang Asli kids and trafficking survivors. I learned that SUKA Society started small in 2010 but grew bigger after winning the UN Award in 2015. One of their programs, such as the Empowered2Teach, show how education can change lives. It was interesting to see how they use partnerships with companies like FBS to run projects.

One hard part was finding details about their latest campaigns because some information wasn’t easy to get online. It taught me that NGOs might need to share more updates to get support. Also, this project improved my research skills. I practiced asking good questions using the Kipling Method. Next time, I’d try interviewing someone from the NGO to get even better answers.

Overall, I’m proud of my work and now appreciate how SUKA Society makes a difference for the world.

Reference List

FBS. (2025, March 5). FBS and SUKA Society support Malaysian communities

during Ramadan. Media OutReach. https://www.media-outreach.com/news/malaysia/2025/03/05/365073/fbs-and-suka-society-support-malaysian-communities-during-ramadan/

International Detention Coalition. (2015, October 20). IDC member SUKA Society

wins UN Malaysia Award. https://idcoalition.org/idc-member-suka-society-wins-un-malaysia-award/

Selvasegaram, A. (n.d.). LinkedIn Profile. LinkedIn. Retrieved June 28, 2025,

https://my.linkedin.com/in/andersonselvasegaram

SUKA Society. (n.d.). About Us. 

https://www.sukasociety.org/frequently-asked-questions/