Payong was initiated in early 2018 by the same team behind Fugee School Malaysia. Our desire is to transform the way Malaysia responds to the refugee crisis by establishing the understanding that all people belong to a single, shared humanity where each individual has the right and opportunity to build a life of dignity.

In Malaysia we use the colloquial term, “I payong you”. Payong is umbrella in Malay, the slang term means “I’ve got you covered/protected”. Payong focuses on a collaborative rebuilding of refugee lives and marginalised peoples via three main pillars:

1. Our Education pillar focuses on implementing new and improved teaching curriculum, as well as, providing a quality, holistic education to refugee children, youth and the wider community.
2. Our Enterprise pillar is a platform that allows refugee youth to develop business and creative skills, learn about sustainable practices and enjoy employment opportunities.
3. Our third pillar is Empowerment, we have a number of programmes that focus on academic and non-academic curriculum design, teacher training and capacity building through human-centred design. 

Payong helps bridge the gap between marginalized communities and refugees in Malaysia and those parties willing to help; empowering individuals to take control over their lives through borderless learning and capacity building.