In conjunction with the month of Ramadan this year, Maybank Islamic Bhd today begun its distribution of boxes containing basic food essentials worth RM1.5 million to more than 8,000 underprivileged families in 11 countries.
Under the Bank’s yearly flagship programme called The Regional Ramadhan Relief which commenced in 2013, more than 120,000 families consisting of the elderly, single mothers, people with disabilities (OKU), the homeless and other underprivileged communities have benefitted from this, totaling more than RM12 million.
Nor Shahrizan Sulaiman, Deputy CEO of Maybank Islamic said the community programme is aligned with the Maybank Group’s mission in humanising financial services across its operations, to stay close and give back to the community.
“The month of Ramadan is the long-awaited month of worship for Muslims around the world. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted a lot of things and brought about many challenges and a lot of lives have been negatively impacted. Some more than others, especially the low-income communities.
Therefore, we are very grateful to be able to continue with this programme which has entered into its tenth year. From only covering target groups in Malaysia in the initial years to the ASEAN countries in 2017, including the Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and since 2021, the programme extended to select migrant workers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE),” he said.
The food supplies given comprised basic necessities such as rice, cooking oil, flour, sugar and other essential food items which are normally needed in the fasting month. Meanwhile, in Singapore, instead of the essential food items, more than 800 families will receive breaking fast (iftar) meals.
For this programme this year, Maybank Islamic partnered with five non-profit organisations (NGOs) namely Islamic Aid Malaysia (IAM), Islamic Relief Malaysia (IRM), MERCY Malaysia, Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (YaPEIM) and Yayasan Ikhlas.
This year, the Bank is allocating more than RM18 million for CSR initiatives. Apart from the Regional Ramadhan Relief programme, Maybank Islamic’s other key CSR programmes include – the Semarak Ilmu Programme, an education programme for school going children from underprivileged families, and Reach Independence & Sustainable Entrepreneurship (RISE), an economic empowerment initiative meant for the group of people eligible to receive zakat assistance.
