Ramadan Gesture For The Orang Asli Community
With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in full swing and Hari Raya Aidilfitri approaching very soon, the obligatory act of Zakat gestures in giving alms and religious taxes to the needy during this period is well underway with individuals, companies, government and private organisations as well as mosques, all doing their part for this good act.
One private corporation in Ipoh that recently organised a huge alms giving exercise as part of its corporate social responsibility is the Sunway Group which distributed food and essential packages to the Orang Asli people of Perak.
The donation exercise involved 200 of its staff from different departments, said Sunway Group Senior General Manager Calvin Ho who added that the programme started in 2014 and has been appropriately named Stop Hunger Now as the diet of the Orang Asli community is often not as nutritious and lavish as that of the mainstream population of Malaysia.
“The Stop Hunger Now programme is jointly organised with Sahabat Orang Asli (SOA) to combat hunger around Perak,” he said recently after joining the team at the programme which was held at Lost World Hotel. Ho added that since it started three years ago, the company forms a team during Ramadan to pack nutritious, high-protein dehydrated meals containing rice, soy, vegetables, and 21 essential vitamins and minerals for the Orang Asli community.
The event is part of the group’s corporate social responsibility project C.A.R.E (Community Aid, Reach-out and Enrichment) and starting this year, staff form the group are also encouraged to donate a minimum for the purpose.
Each of the pack is adequate for a family of six and is distributed to Orang Asli villages such as Kampung Sekam in Tapah, Kampung Sinju in Simpang Pulai, Kampung Air Bah in Lawin, Kampung Sungai Karah in Pos Kemar, Pos Kuala and Pos Yum.
“We hope to continue our efforts every year under this programme, and plan to cater to more target groups such as the single mothers, disabled people and hardcore poor around Perak,” Ho added.
He described the programme as very well received and praised the efforts and dedication from the company’s staff that put their hands together to create 40,000 food packages this year.