Hakim Hayat
Radio presenter and social media influencer Nadzri Harif raised BND4,216.64 for Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER) Brunei by cutting his shoulder-length hair that he had kept for over two years.
On April 19, Nadzri put a poll on his Instagram to let his followers decide what he should do to raise money for charity.
The three options were: run a half marathon with no training; take on the popular fire noodle challenge; or cut his hair. When the dust settled, almost 50 per cent of followers voted for a haircut.
Nadzri said he was surprised with the landslide result. “I had not had a hair cut since the pandemic began in February 2020. I told my followers I was not going to make it easy for them. I said if we raise BND1,000, I’d get a short trim. And if we raised BND1,500 I would get a full-on haircut.”
On the initiative, he said, “I originally organised it as a fun way to raise money for charity. I quickly realised I underestimated the response from my followers.”
“On Wednesday I posted the announcement that I would be collecting donations till 11.59pm on Sunday night. That day alone, 29 people donated and we raised almost BND1,000.
“As a joke, I almost said if we raised BND5,000, I would go bald. As the numbers started to climb, I’m so glad I didn’t!,” he said.
He reached out to his friend Fahad, the head barber and owner of Bercuts barbershop to see if he could make a booking for Monday night. Fahad agreed and said it would be on the house.
Nadzri also spoke with his longtime collaborator Anas Afandi to document the event. He was also on board to take photos and videos.
Asked why he chose Smarter Brunei to make the donations to, he said, “As a dad to a one-year-old, organisations like Smarter work with children, which tug a little more at my heart strings.
“They are a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and family support group, and I love the work they do for people.
“I hope the donations can help Smarter continue to do more epic things in Brunei and the communities they operate in.”
Asked what is next for him, Nadzri said he would like to continue organising fun and unique fund raising activities, adding that since the spicy noodle challenge received the second most votes, it would likely be the next thing to do.
He said because he has such a low spice tolerance, it is an activity that both excites and scares him.
On April 28, Nadzri posted a mini vlog on his instagram page to update all who donated by revealing his new haircut.
The video has amassed almost 8,000 views and was shared by almost 200 people during press time.
Smarter Brunei is an NGO focussing on providing world class services, programmes, training and employment to individuals with autism.
In 2018, the NGO opened its first bistro and café at BACA centre, which has been turned into a training centre to prepare adults with autism to enter the job market. The success of the first café in Kampong Sungai Hanching prompted SMARTER to expand after reporting BND20,000 in sales within two years.
