YAYASAN HASANAH Assists More than 1 million Malaysians To-date
More than Five Times Projects Awarded and Programme Partners mobilised as part of COVID-19 Response
KUALA LUMPUR, 12 June, 2021 - Yayasan Hasanah, Malaysia’s leading impact-based foundation reported that it has assisted more than one million Malaysians to-date through a variety of education, community development, environment, arts & public spaces, knowledge and humanitarian relief programmes.
Speaking at the launch of The Hasanah Report 2020: A New World of Silver Linings and Embracing Change, Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Managing Director, Yayasan Hasanah said, “In 2020, as Yayasan Hasanah turned five, the world grappled with COVID-19. The need for immediate relief quickly became obvious. Reaching out to those adversely affected with various forms of aid, and in a timely manner formed the crux of our operations. It was a record-breaking year as we delivered at greater speed, at an increased volume, and for immediate impact.
“More than 80 percent of projects we co-ordinated in 2020 were pandemic-related. We responded with livelihood initiatives to help many micro entrepreneurs to pivot to online sales, education initiatives to support teachers, students and parents through hybrid teaching and learning, and financial assistance and health services including hygiene kits, food and nutrition for the urban and rural poor, people with special needs and orang asal, amongst others.”
During this period, Yayasan Hasanah expanded its network to include 253 partner organisations and mobilised more than five times the projects it delivered in 2019. The foundation also doubled its outreach to impact more than 322,000 Malaysians in the past year through various humanitarian and relief initiatives.
“We were honoured to be appointed by the government, through its various COVID-19 economic stimulus packages, to orchestrate several national projects and ensure expedient deployment for Malaysians. It was a huge responsibility to offer communities a silver lining amidst the disruptions and challenges of 2020,” said Shahira.
Last year, Yayasan Hasanah also co-ordinated and managed the Government-Linked Companies (GLC) and Government-Linked Investment Companies (GLIC) Disaster Response Network (GDRN) COVID-19 response worth approximately RM95milion, Malaysian Action and Coordination Hub (MATCH), PRIHATIN Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package and the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HDR) efforts under Yayasan Hasanah and Khazanah Nasional Berhad.
Meanwhile, Yayasan Hasanah will continue to deliver several COVID-19 response initiatives by the government into 2021 - including RM150 million for CERDIK, RM25 million for Hasanah Special Grant 2 and RM100 million under PEMERKASA.
In addition to these efforts, the foundation conducted a survey in 2020 on the “Impact of COVID-19 on Civil Society Organisations” which brought the nascent struggles faced by the sector to light, helping it understand how to better support its implementation partners. Yayasan Hasanah was swift in extending unrestricted funding to all its implementation partners to enable them to operate safely and assist to cover overheads including salaries or maintain their operations.
“For the first time, we extended a small amount of unrestricted funding to 39 YH grant partners to help them cope with the pressures brought on by the pandemic. We were heartened that many of our partners instead redistributed the funds amongst their beneficiaries to help them stay safe and sustain their livelihood,” she said.
“One of the positive outcomes of this pandemic is the acceleration of collaboration, and the building of social capital and trust amongst like-minded stakeholders and partners. 2020 proved that together, we are all indeed stronger and more impactful.
“We want to continue paving the way, with our expanded network of partners, for long-term impact,” said Shahira who alluded to the organisation’s upcoming five-year strategy 2020-2025.
“As we progress, I am confident that if we keep listening closely to the heartbeat of our communities, and collaborate with stakeholders who uphold common guiding principles, we can build a stronger, more cohesive Malaysia,” she concluded.
