During The Cooler Lumpur Festival 2019, a few Hatters signed up to put themselves through an immersive experience into the journey of a refugee. SALT offers a glimpse into the journey of a refugee from their home country fleeing to a destination with an unknown future that awaits them.
We can best make a difference in the world when we come to fully understand the severity of a certain situation and SALT provides this learning opportunity to anyone who is willing to step into the shoes of a refugee for 20 minutes, to experience firsthand the struggles faced by refugees during their flee for a ‘promised better life’.
While we had an inkling of what we were about to experience at the time, none of us Hatters were prepared to feel the emotions felt after the experience. A simple but true lesson we took away from this is to not take for granted what we have and a question we posed to ourselves after the session is how can make a difference now that we have a better understanding of the situation?
After the SALT experience at The Cooler Lumpur Festival, all attendees were treated to a good meal prepared authentically and lovingly by PichaEats, who specialise in delicacies from the homeland of their chefs. Serving up a variety of great food from regions like Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and Syria, the proceeds go towards rebuilding the lives of refugees in Malaysia.
With that said, what these refugees weather as they leave their homes for a better life based on empty promises of people who don’t value their lives, is something we can never fully experience but what we can do is support them the best way we can.