Funding covers schools in Sabah, Sarawak and 6 other states in Peninsular Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, 23 December 2016 – In the idyllic Pulau Carey, about 50 Orang Asli students of Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Bumbun waited patiently for a new bag filled with shoes, a school uniform, stationery, socks and a pencil case to be handed to them.
A necessity taken for granted by many, these children come from families who earn too little to afford basic schooling items annually and for them, a little goes a long way.
Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Bumbun was one of numerous schools nationwide that received Back to School assistance from Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD).
The programme, which began in 2013, aims to alleviate the financial burden of families with household incomes below RM3,000 a month by providing school supplies for their children. The supplies include uniforms, bags, stationery, shoes, socks and pencil cases.
This year, YSD distributed supplies to 4,461 students from schools in Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pahang and Johor in Peninsular Malaysia. Two Orang Asli schools in Pulau Carey also received the school supplies.
YSD Chief Executive Officer Puan Hajjah Yatela Zainal Abidin said the Foundation not only aims to lighten the financial burden shouldered by underprivileged families, but also instill the importance of education in children and especially, their parents.
“We hope that YSD’s commitment towards providing basic necessities to these students shows them and their parents that education is to be taken seriously and pursued diligently,” she said.
“The provision of schooling items is an essential tool to empower these students with education and we hope that they use it to their best advantage.”
Sekolah Riih Daso in Serian, Kuching and Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Melati in Tawau, Sabah were among the schools identified by the Back to School programme partners in East Malaysia, The Rotary Club of Kuching Central (RCKC) and The Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK) respectively.
In addition to underprivileged students, Sekolah Riih Daso also gifted three outstanding students with school supplies.
RCKC member Louis Yong who is in charge of the Back To School programme in Sarawak said it was heart wrenching to know that families living just a few kilometres from Kuching are unable to afford new school supplies.
“For example in a family who has to fork out RM100 for each child – what happens if they have four kids? That’s RM400 they have to figure out how to earn to send their children to school,” he said.
RCKK member Danny Wong says it is crucial for more people to come together and work towards helping people in need.
“We might not be able to give a lot or help massive amounts of people but we can try make the small differences in their lives,” he said.
SK Melati teacher Elstiyanti Salimin, who has served as a teacher for 21 years, also said the school was thankful for the assistance as some of the children come from hardcore poor families.
“These kids, especially the anak ladang (children of fieldworkers), really need all the help they can get because some of their parents are retired while some of them only get a few hundreds of ringgit per month,” she said.
The Back to School programme falls under YSD’s Community & Health pillar, which supports community-based programmes and sustainable initiatives to promote the well-being and health of disadvantaged people, reduce socio-economic disparities and enhance the welfare of neglected children and senior citizens, vulnerable women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.
For further information, please contact:
Meena Lakshana
Senior Executive, Public Relations
Yayasan Sime Darby
Tel: 03-2691 4122 Ext 7614, 013-256 7160 (HP)
Email: meena.lakshana@simedarby.com
About Yayasan Sime Darby
Yayasan Sime Darby, or Sime Darby Foundation, was established in 1982 and is the primary driver of Sime Darby Berhad’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
The objectives of Yayasan Sime Darby are supported by its five pillars, namely: community and health; education; youth and sports; arts and culture; environment. While led by independent members of a Governing Council and managed by a dedicated team, Yayasan Sime Darby works closely with the Sime Darby Group, in areas of mutual interest.
Since its inception, Yayasan Sime Darby has awarded scholarships worth more than RM240 million to 3,208 students both in and outside Malaysia. It is supporting long term research projects of significant scientific value like the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) project which is the world’s largest ecological project, a joint effort with the Royal Society (The UK and Commonwealth Academy of Science). Yayasan Sime Darby is also actively involved in the development and improvements of sports in Malaysia namely track cycling, lawn bowling, cricket, tennis and golf. Under its community & health pillar, Yayasan Sime Darby supports initiatives to promote the well-being of disadvantaged people irrespective of race, culture, religion, creed or gender and works with established organisations to promote the development of arts & culture.