AGift With Care is a corporate social responsibility project of Universal Joy Sdn. Bhd. With significant contributions and creative input from special people (SP, henceforth), we aim to create a series of personal care products and perfumes. Our mission is to: provide employment opportunities to SP; assist SP and their charitable organisations in becoming financially self-reliant; enhance confidence and instill a sense of self-worth in SP through real outcomes such as employment; and raise public awareness about, and eliminate negative stereotypes towards, SP. BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT In Malaysia there are approximately 220,000 people with disabilities, approximately 95,000 of whom are registered with the Department of Welfare Services. Disturbingly, only 4,000, or 4%, of these people enjoy paid employment. This figure stands in stark contrast to those of developed nations such as the United States, where roughly 15.6 million people with disabilities, or 34%, are employed. A large proportion of SP, especially those with physical disabilities, can join the workforce alongside the rest of society if given the opportunity, and if some cases, if workplace modifications are made (e.g., improved access and transport). Some SP, however, face greater hardship due to more sever disabilities. For example, people with certain mental disabilities or motor discoordination may not be able to maintain employment. AGift gives priority to SP who fall into this minority. HOW DO WE OPERATE? AGift helps better the lives of SP in three major ways: Firstly, we provide employment opportunities to SP by utilising their talents in decorating the bottles our products are sold in. For every bottle decorated, a negotiated wage is paid either directly to the painter or to their beneficiary organisation. All SP working with AGift are recommended by their charitable organisations and have received approval from their guardian/s. Secondly, for every product sold, an amount up to RM10 is set aside for our charity partners. Thirdly, after our annual financial audit, we will donate a significant portion of our profits after tax (targeting 20%) to our charity partners. This is in addition to the competitive wages paid to the SP working for AGift. We make sure that our painters have fun in the process. There is no possibility of SP being exploited since all drawing sessions are guided by experienced and committed social workers, volunteers, and quite often, the parents and guardians themselves. Most of the times our painters work in their comfort zone, only when they feel like it, and only when they are physically and mentally capable. To accommodate the various needs of our painters, our painting production runs at a very slow pace. WHY ARE WE DIFFERENT? From Dependency to Self-Advocacy It is very important for non-for-profit organisations to have operations that are self-sustainable. Many large and well-established not-for-profit organisations do not only rely on charity from society but seek to be self-sufficient by generating income through recycling and manufacturing activities. These operations, however, are based on a collective effort from volunteers. Smaller not-for-profit organisations, on the other hand, often rely heavily on donations and help from volunteers who mostly consist of parents and caretakers of SP. This project will not only support charitable organisations who help SP, but will also enable SP to contribute directly to their own welfare through the process of decorating the bottles. This serves as an opportunity to educate them about the value of work, and foster a sense confidence and feeling of self-worth