Now, a 30-year-old, Awaludin is the founder of Chow Kit Youth (CKY), a non-profit organisation with a big dream to change lives for the better.
Speaking to FMT, he explained that it all started when he and a group of friends were having a ‘lepak’ session at a mamak stall, trying to think up ways to spend their free time.
“Someone said we should do a theatre play. So, we did! It was so successful, we did another one,” Awaludin said, laughing.
Eventually, they got organised and launched their various activities and programmes under the name “Chow Kit Youth” (CKY), an apt description of who they were.
CKY is dedicated to changing the perception of Chow Kit as being a predominantly red-light district with street children caught in an endless cycle of drug abuse and neglect. “We want the next generation of Chow Kit youth to have a fair chance in life,” Awaludin explained.
To achieve this, CKY focuses on talent development, environmental activities, and community engagement and volunteering, all of which he said would not have been possible if not for Dr Hartini Zainuddin, the founder of Yayasan Chow Kit, who guided him along the way.
Yayasan Chow Kit (YCK) is also a non-profit organisation devoted to making a positive difference in the lives of children and teenagers living in Chow Kit. They provide a safe haven for the kids here as well as hold motivational talks, sports activities, and educational programmes.
Awaludin said Dr Hartini’s foundation did more than just keep him and his friends off the streets. “They helped me become a better person for myself and for my family and community.”
Awaludin told FMT that the Chow Kit district of his youth was a dangerous place. “I was 10 and I knew where to get drugs. Some of my friends were paid to deliver drugs.”
He had once watched as a friend placed several packets of drugs into a bag and took off to deliver it. A few years later, that same friend was hanged for drug trafficking.
“The negative influence was really strong. If I didn’t have YCK, I would have had two choices: Pusat Serenti for drugs (rehabilitation) or jail,” he said.
For Awaludin, Dr Hartini was instrumental in helping him see that life could be different. He said, “If Chow Kit can change to be better, then other parts of Malaysia can change to be even better.”
He said he and his tight group of friends want to be an example of how youths with a “community-first” mindset can create a better Malaysia by putting others ahead of themselves.
“Instead of ‘what can I get’, we want them to think, ‘what can I do’,” Awaludin said.
This is why CKY activities go beyond donation drives and food aid. They have cleaned up Chow Kit’s public walkways, staged theatre plays, and repainted an orphanage.
“We want to create bonding. You can donate one time and that’s it. It’s not enough to feel connected to your community,” Awaludin clarified. This is why CKY’s activities are about making people feel excited to collaborate and participate as a group.
But despite their most heroic efforts, the Covid-19 pandemic brought all their activities to a screeching halt. Now that the endemic stage has begun, CKY is itching to get started again.
As a way to reintroduce themselves into the community, they organised a screening of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” at GSC Tropicana Gardens Mall on May 4.
It was a hugely successful event which saw 100 children from Chow Kit ferried to the cinema to watch the movie. They also donated RM11,000 from the proceeds of their fund-raiser towards the foundation’s plan to buy a central home for their activities.
Awaludin said, “We have many plans, we want people to know that they can expect many fun programmes.”
He said that his friends always say that ‘Awaludin and Chow Kit cannot be separated’. It is clear that Awaludin has found his life’s purpose in serving his community. “This is just starting. I believe we can do so much more.”
Follow Chow Kit Youth on Facebook to keep abreast of their upcoming activities.