KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry plans to expand its volunteer programme, MyCorps, to Sri Lanka in 2017.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this is being done on the heels of its successful programme in Cambodia.

“Just like the first programme, Malaysian youths will be recruited and sent to Sri Lanka for three months next year.

“This follows the success of our 50 MYCorps volunteers who helped build water tanks and toilets in Cambodia this year,” he said.

During the first MYCorps project, volunteers successfully built five rainwater harvesting systems and 25 toilet cubicles in five schools.

He said the volunteers of the first MYCorps series were sent to Smile Village and Chhnang Village from May 8 to July 24.

“Not only were we able to raise our flag, the Jalur Gemilang, in our own nation but also in other countries such as Myanmar and then Lebanon and Syria.

“I believe that Malaysian youths have the spirit and enthusiasm to change the world but we must give them the right platform to do so,” he said.

Khairy was speaking at the closing of the first MYCorps series at the International Youth Centre here, today.

MYCorps is a launchpad for Malaysian youths to develop and train for international volunteer programmes.-nst