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Malaysians have stepped up to the plate to help alleviate the hardships of the poor and those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Movement Control Order (MCO) that came with it.Now, Sunway Group’s employees are joining the battle, individually and voluntarily. A number of its employees have come together in solidarity and support, asking for the opportunity to do their part and share their ‘blessings’ with those in need.
Within days of the MCO, the #SunwayforGood Fund was swiftly set up in collaboration with Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, with full consent and support of the senior management to collect donations from all Sunway employees for this purpose. At the launch of the fund, more than RM800,000 has been collected from hundreds of compassionate donors.
“In times of trouble, families come together to help overcome a crisis. At Sunway, we hold true to the saying charity begins at home. This is what is happening now with the Sunway ‘family’ in facing the extraordinary challenges posed by the pandemic,” said Tan Sri Datuk Seri Razman M. Hashim, the Group’s Deputy Executive Chairman.
“We are trying to do as much as we can to help the marginalised and the unfortunate to weather through this storm including our own people during these difficult times. I applaud the initiative of setting up this fund by our employees to help our own people within the group, and take pride in the caring culture of our brand,” he added.Contributions to the #SunwayForGood Fund will be used to aid frontline healthcare workers who have been working tirelessly since the COVID-19 outbreak last month and those in the essential and critical services across Sunway businesses as well as the B40 communities in the vicinity of Sunway townships nationwide who need the most help during these trying times.
Keeping Sunway’s Frontliners and Essential Service Workers Safe
Drawing from the #SunwayforGood Fund, “StaySafe” packs comprising masks, vitamin C and sanitisers has been distributed to all frontline workers including those serving in the essential and critical services across Sunway Group.
Sunway’s frontline staff include healthcare workers at Sunway Medical Centre in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur and Sunway Medical Centre Velocity in Cheras, who have been working round-the-clock; zoo keepers who continue to tend to the animals at Sunway Lagoon and Sunway Lost World of Tambun; hundreds of hotel staff across its various properties nationwide; facility maintenance workers as well as security officers and auxiliary police who continue their patrols to ensure the safety of Sunway townships and the communities, among others.
Aiding B40 communities nationwide
Last week, Sunway Group had committed RM300,000 for the #SunwayforGood Aid Now programme, designed for community relief efforts during times of crisis, particularly for B40 communities nationwide with priority given to those around Sunway townships in Selangor, Perak, Penang and Johor.
The #SunwayforGood Aid Now programme is Sunway’s emergency relief programme. Previously the fund was disbursed to indigent communities that have suffered from disasters including floods and fire. In addition to the disbursement of funds, the programme also involves Sunway employees providing physical assistance such as helping to clean affected areas after disasters. Previously the #SunwayforGood Aid Now programme had reached out to the flood-stricken communities in Terengganu, Kelantan and Johor.Of the RM 300,000, a contribution of RM100,000 from the #SunwayforGood fund has been channeled to Tabung Prihatin YKN-JKM COVID 19 by Yayasan Kebajikan Negara (YKN), which is expected to benefit at least 12,000 beneficiaries in the initial stages to shore up support for communities shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The contribution will be used to distribute dry groceries including rice, flour, mee-hoon, canned sardines, condensed milk, biscuits and cooking oil. The food items can be kept for a longer period of time, and will be able to feed a family of three up to two weeks.
To disburse the rest of the funds, the Group is also actively looking at possible collaborations with other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and will roll out the next phase of its #SunwayforGood Aid Now programme to help the B40 communities.
The RM300,000 contribution was committed as part of Sunway Group’s contribution of RM34 million in total that will help 40,000 Malaysian beneficiaries amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The total includes contributions of a RM1 million donation to the national COVID-19 fund to aid unemployed COVID-19 patients, up to RM12 million from Sunway healthcare division to cover the cost of subsidising treatment for public patients from Ministry of Health’s hospitals and University Malaya Medical Centre and RM20 million worth of rent-free days to Sunway Malls’ non-essential retailers.