Freelancer.com to Empower Malaysia's Underprivileged Communities through MDeC Partnership
SYDNEY, Dec. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing commitment to create opportunities for underprivileged people around the world, Freelancer Limited (Freelancer) (ASX: FLN) today announced that Freelancer International Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Freelancer, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) in Malaysia for its Micro Sourcing to Generate Additional Income for B40 (Low Income Households) project under the Government's Digital Malaysia initiative. MDeC is owned and funded by the Malaysian government, and directs and oversees Malaysia's National Information & Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives.
Under the project, MDeC will educate Malaysia's Bottom 40% (B40) communities on the potential of freelance work on Freelancer to augment their income via an outreach program. MDeC will engage a third party to conduct IT skills training and education for the B40 community which will include training on best practice and use of the Freelancer.com website.
Using only a computer connected to the internet, Malaysia's underprivileged can instantly benefit from the global online services boom and acquire work from anywhere in the world. With over 5 million projects posted on Freelancer's online marketplace to date, the platform offers a chance for these communities to establish their professional career online and ultimately improve their standard of living.
Highlighting Malaysia's potential to become a top outsourcing hub in the region, Freelancer CEO Matt Barrie noted, "We are growing rapidly across the region and Malaysia is a key country for us. Currently it is the 8th largest country in Asia on Freelancer.com and 20th globally. This collaboration with MDeC will allow us to extend our reach in Malaysia."
Expressing the significance of the collaboration to Digital Malaysia's mission, Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer of MDeC, said, "Our partnership with Freelancer.com not only strengthens MDeC's Digital Malaysia initiative to uplift the standard of living of the lower income group through digital economic means; but is also a great avenue for organizations and businesses who are looking to keep their operational costs down by utilizing the services of freelancers."
The first event as part of the program will be held on the 14th of December 2013 at the University of Technology MARA in Malacca, where a Digital Malaysia B40 Initiatives and Crowdsourcing event will be held. This will be followed by a Program with B40 communities event on the 15th of December at the Dengkil National Secondary School in Dengkil, and an "Unleashing Business Opportunities" seminar with local SMEs in Penang on the 19th of December. More events are planned through 2014.
In the future, MDeC hopes to expand the availability of this opportunity to more members of the low income group, irrespective of age, occupation and location.
About Multimedia Development Corporation Malaysia and Digital Malaysia
The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) was incorporated in 1996 to strategically drive the Malaysian Government on legislation, policies and standards for ICT and multimedia operations as well as to oversee the development of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (now MSC Malaysia), the platform to nurture the growth of Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises in the IT industry whilst attracting participation from global ICT companies to invest in and develop cutting edge digital and creative solutions in Malaysia.
In 2011, MDeC's mandate was broadened by the Prime Minister to include driving Malaysia's transition towards a developed digital economy by 2020 through Digital Malaysia. In 2012, Digital Malaysia was officially unveiled as the nation's transformational program to achieve this aim. Founded on three strategic objectives, Digital Malaysia will create an ecosystem that promotes the pervasive use of ICT in all aspects of the economy, connect communities globally and enable them to interact in real time, to increase the country's Gross National Income, enhance business productivity and improve standards of living.
About Freelancer
Triple Webby award winning Freelancer is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: FLN) and is the world's largest freelancing, outsourced services and crowdsourcing marketplace by number of users and projects. Freelancer.com connects businesses with over 9.5 million professionals globally, specialising in over 600 areas of work. Over 5 million projects have been posted to date, in areas as diverse as website development, logo design, marketing, copywriting, astrophysics, aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Freelancer's mission is to help entrepreneurs globally by connecting entrepreneurs running small businesses in the developed world with entrepreneurs running service providers in the developing world.
SOURCE Freelancer
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