DEEPAVALI CHEER PROGRAMME BRINGS SMILES TO 900 PERAKIAN SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NEED

Group photo

This Festival of Light celebration, Sunway Group launched its #sunwayforgood Deepavali Cheer Programme to bring cheer to 900 Perakian school children in need at the Lost World of Tambun.

While many celebrate this festival with happiness, a delicious feast and large gatherings, the same sentiment is not shared by the underserved communities, especially those in the B40 community. Sunway Group hopes to be able to bring cheer to the community this festive season.

Sunway Group Brand Marketing and Communications General Manager Bernard Paul with the benefitting school children

Aside from bringing smiles to the community, this programme also aims to ensure the children’s long term future through education. The #sunwayforgood Deepavali Cheer includes an educational tour at Lost World of Tambun; distribution of school supplies; upgrading of school libraries; and induction of ICT Literacy Aid programme.

The #sunwayforgood Deepavali Cheer programme supported by Perak EXCO’s Member’s Office, the Perak Education Department, and Friends of Mankind was designed as an urgent response to studies that showed even though there is a decline in dropout rate from 0.35% in 2016 to 0.29% in 2017, the highest dropout rate comprise of children from the B40 group due to their parents’ inability to afford school expenses.

Perak Health, Consumer Affairs, National Integration and Human Resources executive committee chairman and Sungkai Assemblyman YB Sivanesan Achalingam who was present at the event commended Sunway Group’s initiative as one that is supportive of the Perak Government’s focus on uplifting the B40 households.

Sunway, Perak EXCO, students

“The Perak Government has taken several positive steps such as the introduction of the Kad Prihatin Perak ration card, expansion of community farming projects, rebates on electricity bills, free water and training sessions for small and medium entrepreneurs to assist the B40 groups reduce their burden. Sunway Group’s initiative is of great importance as it helps the children and their families break the cycle of poverty through ensuring that children receive the education they deserve.”

Sunway City Ipoh Executive Director, Wong Wan Wooi said that the entire initiative was aligned to Sunway Group’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, aimed at sustainable and equitable development without leaving anyone behind.

“Our founder and chairman, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah believes that education offers the best route out of poverty. We hope that by reaching out to these 900 primary students from B40 groups and providing them with school necessities, the students will be motivated to pursue education for a brighter future. Our #sunwayforgood initiatives have reached out to 40,000 beneficiaries thus far, and we hope to be able to reach out to 50,000 beneficiaries by the end of the year.”

Education Tour at Lost World of Tambun

Sunway volunteers having a memorable moment with school students

The programme was launched on 13 October where 160 school children from various schools including SJK(T) Klebang, SJK(T) Ladang Chemor, SJK(T) Kg Simee, and SJK(T) Ladang Strathisla were invited to an educational tour at the Lost World of Tambun to learn about the various animals within the zoo as well as how to build terrariums.

A merry train ride in the Lost World of Tambun

A Park Ranger at the Petting Zoo playing with the school children

Petting Zoo rangers educating the children about animals

School student getting to know a python at the Lost World of Tambun's Petting Zoo

School children learning how to plant cactus

Besides the learning opportunity, the students were also treated to a sumptuous luncheon at Lost World Hotel. During the luncheon, students received school supplies including school bags, stationeries, water and food containers, multivitamins, tooth paste, mouthwash and environmentally friendly repurposed soap by Sunway Hotels & Resorts from Wong Wan Wooi and YB Sivanesan Achalingam.

Breakfast time for the school students at the Lost World of Tambun

School students taking a momento photo at the Lost World of Tambun

Back-To-School Initiative

Sunway Group will continue its #sunwayforgood Deepavali Cheer programme with the distribution of school supplies on 14 October to another 740 students at SJK(T) Klebang, SJK(T) Ladang Chemor and SJK(T) Kg Simee.

Sunway Management with the teachers and principal of SJK (T) Klebang, Chemor

Bernard Paul, Nurul and Wong Wan Wooi strapping on the new school bags for students

The supplies are similar to the ones given out the day before. It includes school bags, stationeries, water and food containers, multivitamins, tooth paste, mouthwash and environmental friendly repurposed soap from Soapful sustainable initiative by Sunway Hotels & Resorts.

Sunway staff distributing school bags to school children

Sunway's management and SJK (T) Klebang's management with students

Soapful is Sunway Hotels & Resorts’ sustainable initiative that repurposes used soap bars from its hotels. The repurposed soap bars are then distributed to selected beneficiary for their personal use and also to be sold as part of their social enterprise programmes at charity sales, community markets and other social platforms. The project which was officially launched on 5 December 2018 is a collaboration with various project partners – Ecolab Sdn Bhd, Kinder Soaps Sdn Bhd and the Selangor Youth Community (SAY).

Students and their school supplies from Sunway

Happy students with their school supplies

R.E.A.D. Programme

Sunway Group will soon kick-start the Sunway R.E.A.D (Reading Enhances Aspiration and Drive) programme where SJK(T) Klebang’s school library will be refurbished. Apart from the refurbishment, Sunway Group is also looking into equipping the library with the necessary books for education purposes.

Sunway Group launched its book donation campaign last month with Friends of Mankind. Books are collected at selected Sunway premises nationwide and the books will be given to the school library.

ICT Literacy Aid Programme

Sunway promotes quality education for all

As part of #sunwayforgood long term initiative to make education accessible to deserving students in the nation, it will embark on an ICT Literacy Aid program in year 2020. This programme will focus on digital learning, where students are taught the basics of information technology and programming skills.

Happy students

Students with the #sunwayforgood poster

Happy students 2

Deepavali Video

To spread the merriment of Deepavali celebration, Sunway Group has released a Deepavali video. In a multiracial country like Malaysia, every festival is celebrated by all Malaysians. The video features the importance of unity among Malaysians, and how we can all appreciate and embrace our cultural uniqueness and differences.