Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, 5 January 2021 – Through its #SunwayforGood corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Sunway Group had reached out to more than 200,000 lives nationwide in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic affected numerous people.
While Sunway’s CSR efforts have centered on three key pillars – education, healthcare and community enrichment – the focus has turned to food security following the global pandemic and movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia, affecting bottom 40% (B40) income-group communities. Many B40 people have lost their sources of income and struggling to put food on tables since early 2020.
Sunway, through the #SunwayforGood Fund, had given AEON vouchers worth RM50 each, to more than 2,000 beneficiaries in Bandar Sunway with incomes from RM980 to RM2,208.
AEON vouchers worth RM100 each were also given to 736 students from B40 families; these students are from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bandar Sunway, one of the adopted schools by Sunway. Each beneficiary can use the voucher to buy groceries or school uniform and shoes.
The #SunwayforGood Fund was set up in collaboration with the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation to collect donations from all Sunway employees and help the poor and those hit hardest by COVID-19
In the spirit of caring for the grassroots, Sunway had also used its own Sunway Resort Hotel truck to transport 250 kilogrammes of groceries from the Food Aid Foundation to Persatuan Insaf Murni in Kajang, aiding 20 families living with HIV.
To complement #SunwayforGood efforts last year, Sunway has produced a video highlighting the Group’s progress and achievements in helping B40 communities and how the public can provide assistance.
The video can be viewed on Sunway Group’s Facebook and YouTube .
These are among the CSR initiatives aligned with Sunway’s core values of integrity, humility and excellence and its commitment to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Earlier last year, Sunway announced an aid package totalling RM34 million, with the target to support at least 40,000 beneficiaries. The Group had also contributed RM1 million to the government’s COVID-19 Fund for Malaysians.
“It has certainly changed our mindsets – from the art of living to the heart of living and giving,” said Sunway Group deputy executive chairman Tan Sri Datuk Seri Razman M. Hashim, who led the #SunwayforGood initiatives.
“We have the power to make a difference and be the light to someone’s life. Through our initiatives, we have impacted more than 200,000 lives and contributed more than RM34 million to aid those in need.
“Further, we have surpassed our target of collecting 40,000 kilogrammes of food through the #SunwayforGood Food Bank programme, reaching more than 53,000 kilogrammes as of end December 2020.
“We aspire to bring hope to underserved communities.”
Razman shared that Sunway’s ultimate goal is to look into the long-term impact of uplifting B40 communities and help them break free from poverty.
“Sunway acknowledges that it is not the government’s responsibility alone to realise the UN 17 SDGs,” said Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah.
“It requires the commitment and shared efforts of all strata of society – the private sector, academia, civil society … every single individual. We are all in this together.”
Notable #SunwayforGood initiatives in 2020
One of which is the #SunwayforGood Food Bank programme, the largest food bank drive by any Malaysian conglomerate which kick-started in conjunction with the National Day and Malaysia Day.
Prioritising food security with help from public donations, the programme was aimed at bringing together Malaysians and helping B40 families fight hunger due to COVID-19.
The food bank programme, held until 31 December 2020, had pledged to collect 40,000 kilogrammes of food, with the aim of surpassing that target by end-2020 which will feed 25,000 individuals in B40 families worst hit by the pandemic.
The beneficiaries were identified by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – the Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas Malaysia (DHRRA Malaysia), the Food Aid Foundation and The Lost Food Project. The food is delivered monthly to the needful families.
As part of its Hari Raya Aidilfitri initiative during the MCO, Sunway had delivered thousands of packets of “bubur lambuk” to frontline workers, essential service staff and B40 families nationwide.
Sunway, together with the Selangor Youth Community, had delivered new clothes, groceries, “duit raya”, Vitamin C packs, sanitisers and baked cookies to caretakers and children at orphanage homes.
In conjunction with the Festival of Light, the #SunwayforGood Deepavali Cheer initiative had provided food aid to a total of 10,155 beneficiaries in the Klang Valley, Perak and Johor.
In Johor and Perak, Sunway collaborated with its long-time partner, The National Committee for Community Services & Health Malaysian Red Crescent, in reaching out to B40 communities.
In the Klang Valley, Sunway partnered with FFM Berhad who had donated 5,089.2 kilogrammes of food products worth RM80,000.
These products were divided into three batches and donated to the DHRRA Malaysia, Food Aid Foundation and The Lost Food Project.
Sunway’s healthcare division, meanwhile, had subsidised treatments for patients from the Ministry of Health of Malaysia and University Malaya Medical Centre.
Sunway’s hospitality division had contributed more than 25,000 hygiene and personal protective equipment such as blankets, shower gel, shampoo, dental kits, small pillows and kitchen gloves to Hospital Sungai Buloh in Selangor and Hospital Seberang Jaya in Penang.
In the southern region, the property team had contributed items such as infrared electronic thermometers, face masks and hand sanitisers to hundreds of frontline healthcare staff as well as essential and critical service workers at hospitals such as Hospital Sultanah Aminah and those at Iskandar Puteri Police Station.
Sunway City Ipoh’s organic farm had contributed vegetables to the community there. Hundreds of kilogrammes of fresh organic produce were given to some 6,000 frontline healthcare workers and Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun patients in Ipoh throughout the MCO period.
In response to charity homes affected by the MCO – with donations declining and volunteers finding it more difficult to extend help – Sunway staff, through the #SunwayforGood Fund, had channelled almost RM130,000 to foot electricity bills of up to six months for 16 charity homes nationwide.
Another unique programme is the ICT Literacy Aid focusing on digital learning where students are taught the basics of information technology and programming skills.
