Kuala Lumpur, 19 November 2021 – The National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF Malaysia) received a generous donation of RM16,000 from the Stella Maris International School (SMIS) in Bukit Damansara recently. Topping last year’s amount of RM13,406, SMIS continues to live up to its name and commitment in helping NKF Malaysia and has raised a whopping RM85,000 over the past six years.
“Our sincere thanks to SMIS and to all the kind donors who gave so generously this year. It truly means the world to us and it is because of kind souls like you that we at NKF Malaysia are able to continue doing what we do,” said NKF Malaysia CEO Chua Hong Wee, who added that the funds are timely to help provide their patients with more care and support.
Chua also explained how this pandemic has affected NKF Malaysia as many donors have pulled back donations due to tough times. “It has been a real struggle to keep our operations running especially in this pandemic because even more patients, especially those from the lower income groups, are in a vulnerable state. I hope that more people will lend us a helping hand just like SMIS does annually,” he said.
Despite the current pandemic, which saw schools shutting its doors, SMIS continued to raise funds through its annual No Uniform Day held in conjunction with World Kidney Day 2021. With the unfortunate closure of schools, students and teachers had to forgo the usual event where everyone shows up to school in red, in solidarity with NKF to commemorate World Kidney Day.
In lieu of that, this year’s charity drive was carried out merely through a virtual passing of the hat. Even so, the response was overwhelming as parents, teachers and staff showed their unwavering support.
“I would like to sincerely thank all donors for this very generous donation. It is indeed heartening to see the kind generosity of the school’s family this year despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been tough on all of us,” said SMIS president Professor Dr B.C. Tan during the mock cheque handover presentation recently.
He added that this was the Stella Maris way of saying that we do care and that we are always here to help. “Our annual charity event in aid of NKF Malaysia also means a lot to us and it is also a way to raise awareness about kidney disease among our community. I also urge more people out there to donate to organisations like NKF Malaysia so that they can continue saving lives without any financial worries,” he said.
