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.
http://www.freelancer.com
SOURCE Freelancer