THE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

special

Growing sustainable communities

CSR

2 csrTHE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

Committed to sustainabilityCORPORATE Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important component of corporate management at Fuji Xerox Malaysia.

For Fuji Xerox Malaysia, CSR is part of its DNA and that means everyone is aligned in thought as the practice of CSR is embedded in the company business.

Commitment is needed to properly incorporate CSR because it takes time. The company is strongly committed to contributing to society through its business.

By helping to build strong and sustainable business operations, its business can deliver solutions, manage environmental resources efficiently and contribute to socio-economic growth.

This idea is deeply integrated in the company’s daily operations and has become part of Fuji Xerox Malaysia’s DNA.

Field mobility with smartphones

One of Fuji Xerox Malaysia’s main CSR activities to be highlighted is having field mobility with smartphones in its customer engineers’ (CE)

daily routine. With the

increasing demand of interactive interface for smartphones, Fuji

Xerox Malaysia recently equipped its CEs with the latest smartphones to ease their daily productivity.

The main objective is to be on par with

engineer innovative products and services that are of high quality that brings no negative impact on the environment.

At the same time, Fuji Xerox Malaysia will continue to inspire and engage its employees to build an even stronger culture of CSR within the company.

n For more information, visit www.fujixerox.com.my

Perfect match

IF you happen to read the news during the save the Malayan tiger season, you would no doubt come across a mention of Maybank yet again supporting the efforts to conserve the Malayan tiger through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm, the Maybank Foundation.

You probably would not think anything of it. After all, Maybank’s logo is a Malayan tiger, so it would be only natural that it supports this programme.

But what if the mascot for Maybank were a tapir or a frog? What if its logo were a gamelan instead? You would have wondered why it was helping tigers instead of tapirs or the local traditional music scene.

The synergy between the bank and the tiger is what is called a high fit between the brand and the programme it supports through its CSR. This is simply one aspect of how companies affiliate themselves with their CSR activities.

How a programme is associated with a company makes a big difference to how people see it. It influences the reactions of people on the street, whether they question the association, feel unmoved by it, or find it moving and memorable.

In The Impact of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Behaviour, a paper by Ronald Paul Hill of University of South Florida and his team, it was found that people viewed businesses whose CSR was a good fit for them positively, as long as they also believed in the sincerity of the company’s actions.

Another example of a high-fit

community programme is Nestlé’s Creating Shared Value commitments that include nutrition and the environment, seeing as Nestlé is a food company that uses natural ingredients in its products.

“Food and nutrition are the basis of our lives and the cornerstone of our business. This is an area to which we are able to contribute and influence society at large,” says Alois Hofbauer, Nestlé Malaysia’s managing director.

Nestlé’s other points of CSR focus, water and rural development, are also pragmatic choices. As Hofbauer points out, water is a critical resource and its

scarcity would have a “drastic impact on the quality of all our lives and make business operations unsustainable”, while through rural development, Nestlé is able to ensure the well-being of its various stakeholders – farmers, small local entrepreneurs and suppliers.

Give it all you’ve gotThe type of effort companies

are willing to implement is an aspect of CSR that requires delicate balancing.

Low-effort CSR benefits no one – consumers feel that companies are insincere in their efforts and may turn against them, and in turn,

companies are saddled with an unsavoury reputation that may have little to do with their actual product.

Gone are the days of “checkbook CSR”, where a company simply threw a large amount of cash in the general direction of a “do-gooder” programme and called it a day.

Oftentimes, companies are judged for their CSR as much as for their services. Companies have to make it count when they invest in programmes to help the community or their chosen cause, because it influences how they are perceived.

In some cases, instead of aligning

with pre-existing programmes, unique programmes are created under a foundation wing.

Examples of this include Yayasan Sime Darby, Malaysia Aeon Foundation and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.

The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation is run by Sunway Group, whose founder Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah believes in the ability of education to create systemic, widespread social change.

Under the foundation are Sunway Education Group’s 12 learning institutions, including Monash University Malaysia and Sunway University.

“This makes the foundation the largest education-focused social enterprise in Malaysia,” says Sarena Cheah, managing director of Sunway Berhad’s Property Development Division for Malaysia and Singapore.

“With this, the educational institution’s operating surpluses are ploughed back into the institutions or disbursed as scholarships, research grants and expansion of faculty and facilities.”

Well-known coffee company Starbucks also has its own charitable foundation.

The Starbucks Foundation is responsible for, among other things, supporting tea, coffee and cocoa communities that supply the same products to its stores.

This could mean anything from investing in education for children in remote areas of Guatemala to water sanitation for farms in Tanzania and healthcare programmes in India.

> SEE NEXT PAGE

the Asia Pacific Organisation (APO) regional project.

Thus, Fuji Xerox Malaysia is proud to say that it is among the first to use this as a tool to improve overall CE productivity.

Nowadays, customer expectations are getting higher and the company aims to increase customer satisfaction.

Field mobility can improve the internal work process practices among CE where they can update work status on mobile devices and check service history.

They do not have to physically check into the log book and can order spare parts beforehand, which will automatically improve machine resolution time.

This practice can improve work efficiency with real-time data feedback to the system interface from backend.

With this application, CEs can log in anytime to check service history and view the respective stock status.

This improves customer response time and resolution rate in repairing the machine in addition to saving time as CEs can immediately proceed to the customers’ location without entering the office to key in data.

This system has been in beta mode for two years. The regional

team has a very systematic technology improvement in the pipeline for every stage of its development.

Phase 2 will take place for the next two years to create more features and functions applicable to the current environment for CEs.

As Fuji Xerox Malaysia celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, accelerating the integration of sustainability into its core business will continue to be its priority.

It will continue working hard to ensure it maintains the leading edge in the field, while contributing to the lives of its employees and the wider community.

The company hopes to continue to develop and

Providing field mobility with customer engineers’ smartphones increases overall productivity.

Fuji Xerox Malaysia believes in empowering its staff to perform more efficiently.

Companies look for best-fit corporate responsibility projects not just to help communities but also enhance their corporate image.

THE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

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Building on perception> FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

AS the study by the University of Florida mentioned, sincerity is the bedrock of consumer goodwill when it comes to charitable works.

When companies face crises or a shift in perception towards negativity, what they do next in terms of CSR is an important aspect of regaining shareholder and consumer trust.

Research paper Do Conflicts Affect a Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Policy? published in the Utrecht University Law Review compares the pre- and post-crisis CSR of several large companies, including Coca-Cola and Apple, and how, if done right, CSR policies can evolve for the better after a scandal.

In 2010, several suicides were reported at Foxconn, the company that manufactures iPhones and iPads for Apple. These suicides were purportedly related to long working hours and discrimination from management at the Foxconn facility.

Prior to this, Apple had been criticised for its lack of transparency when it came to sustainability.

After the Foxconn incidents, Apple chose to double down on supplier misconduct as part of its CSR policies.

Training programmes were funded, audits increased in

frequency to protect factory employees and, if child labour was discovered, the supplier company was required to pay lost wages and educational expenses.

It also led to Apple being the first tech company to join the Fair Labor Association, a non-profit organisation that encourages companies to disclose the names and locations of their factories to their consumers.

Compared with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that British Petroleum will never live down and made little effort to mitigate, we hardly see mention of the Foxconn incident. It seems that in this case, Apple made the right decision about its CSR direction.

Location, location, location

Many local companies are directed by their location and presence in an area in terms of their CSR activities.

For companies such as Bank Islam, location plays dual factors of practicality and employee involvement when it comes to CSR.

When it funds a programme through its corporate responsibility (CR) chapter AMAL Bank Islam, it wants “something that strongly

involves the community”, a representative of Bank Islam.

Bank Islam’s position as a community-oriented bank signifies its CSR focal points: community, education, and the environment.

“We want involvement from our Bank Islam staff. If our staff is familiar with the area and the people, it’s a smoother process to engage them in our programme,” says a Bank Islam representative.

This is especially so for one of its programmes, Projek Bantuan Rumah, where homes are built or repaired for impoverished families.

Contractors and vendors for the project are sourced according to area, and familiarity plays a big role in ensuring that reliable contractors are retained and that later on, follow-ups to the condition of the homes can be done easily.

Westports Malaysia, located in Klang, has Pulau Indah as the foci of its community-based CSR. It has directed RM5.6mil in funds towards education so far, helped to install CCTVs in vital areas and volunteered its auxiliary police to patrol the island.

“Internally, many of our staff live on the island, and they provide suggestions on improvements for the island,” explains Westports chief executive officer Ruben

Emir Gnanalingam of the company’s location-centred CSR activities.

“Our primary objective is to ensure that the quality of life and needs of Pulau Indah residents are met.”

How a company is perceived by

One change at a time

• Battling ignorance Information has always been

Google’s forte, and it has been giving back in ways you may not have realised.

Google Scholar, Google Earth and Google Translate are not just helping students with assignments but also helping scientists track information and access research at unprecedented levels.

• Helping communitiesIt is easy for Microsoft to

create change because of the amount of funding it has, but the change it focuses on is long-term.

Teaching skills to communities, encouraging rural innovation, providing education and internship

opportunities through YouthSpark, and preserving languages and culture through Language Interface Packs make up just part of the company’s billion-dollar community efforts.

• Growing the environmentDisney is probably not the

first company that comes to mind when it comes to the environment, but the Disneynature films and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund have been involved in programmes with non-profit organisations that include the conservation of seahorses in China, bats in Fiji and cheetahs in Botswana as well as projects in 109 other countries.

its consumers, the practicality and logistics of funding, the fit of the programme to a brand and the areas where a company could logically make the most impact with CSR are the practical deciding factors when it comes to responsible funding.

At Fuji Xerox, we aim to reduce our customers' carbon emissions by seven million tonnes per year by 2020. This is in addition to achieving zero land�ll, no pollution and no illegal disposal from our operations in the coming years.

Across Asia Paci�c, our CSR philosophy is brought to life through our consistent and regular engagement with our employees - senior management and sta� level alike - who are the ambassadors of our CSR commitments.

We embrace the notion of Genko Itchi, the Japanese phrase that translates to “practise what we preach”.

In practice, Genko Itchi is deployed across every aspect of our business. For example, we continue to support our customers in shifting into using green technology in their document management, but we also walk the talk ourselves.

By using the same equipment and coming up with innovative processes in our business, we can help others to do the same. We are pleased to see that customer satisfaction towards our products and services has remained high.

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Fuji Xerox Malaysia ecological target is to sell more products as we stand strong with environmentally friendly products.

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Fuji Xerox Fuji Xerox Closed Loop SystemWith MyHijau certi�cation, it is

an advantage for Fuji Xerox Malaysia as a pioneer and leader in environmental friendly products. Selling more of our products have shown support of our customers towards environmental conservation and digital solutions.

Reverse Logistics System

One of our main CSR activities is our Reverse Logistics System.

The Fuji Xerox closed loop system is where we reuse and recycle used products. We have established a sophisticated reverse logistics system, where used equipment and consumables are collected from our customers, and an advanced integrated recycling centre is established for our products after use.

Abiding by the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), we take responsibility for all used products and remanufacture, reuse or recycle them to achieve 99.9% resource recovery. We have e�ectively closed the loop of our product life cycle, and in doing so helped resolve a growing electronic waste problem.

By using recycled resources, we are reducing the requirement of new raw materials through parts reuse, and in some cases, increasing our pro�tability by remanufacturing parts.

The Fuji Xerox Eco-Manufacturing plant in

Used bycustomer

Returned to the factory,disassembled/cleaned

Zero land�ll

Sortingof parts

Repair

Collected

Returnedto primarymaterials

Made into materials,formed unto a shape

Quality inspectionand assurance

Centralizedproduction line

Recyclingdesign

Completedand delivered

Inspection

Thailand has the capacity to disassemble and recycle 30,000 machines and 500,000 cartridges per year.

We comply with the Department of Environment (DOE) permits and regulations in both Malaysia and Thailand on trans-boundary shipment of machines and

supplies, and the BASEL Convention.

We have had no �nes and non-compliance related to environment. Even though this exercise is costly but this is the principle of the founding fathers and embedded within Fuji Xerox itself.

4 csrTHE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

Creating value for allNESTLÉ’S business philosophy of Creating Shared Value (CSV) exemplifies the way it does business.

For its business to prosper over the long term, the company believes that it is vital to add value to the communities in which it shares a presence.

In line with this, Nestlé is committed to ensuring that it makes a positive impact by enriching the lives of people in the community.

CSV is a fundamental part of the Nestlé way of doing business. This is best reflected in three core areas that are vital to its business strategy and in ensuring the community’s quality of life: nutrition, water and environment, and rural development.

These areas have the greatest potential for joint value creation and are an integral part of Nestlé’s sustainability commitments, which it strives to uphold and cultivate for generations to come.

“Based on our CSV philosophy as well as our Nestlé Corporate Business Principles, we have successfully conducted business and created value in the local community for more than a hundred years now.

“As a responsible company, we believe that this goes hand-in-hand with compliance to national laws and international standards.

“As a result, we have earned the trust of local consumers and nourished generations of Malaysians, proving that it is possible for the company to do well, by doing good for the society,” says Alois Hofbauer, managing director of Nestlé Malaysia Berhad.

NutritionAs the world’s leading nutrition,

health and wellness company, Nestlé is in the unique and privileged position of being able to address many global issues, especially in the areas of nutrition, which is linked to its core business activities.

Nestlé is committed to improving the nutritional status and promoting active lifestyles of consumers, especially among school-going children.

Nestlé’s MILO brand collaborates with the Education Ministry to train and produce local role

models for Malaysian children. This is to encourage young individuals to participate in sports and nurture their raw talent through the best coaching and resources available.

This partnership approach effectively brings together different sets of capabilities, combining nutrition expertise and grassroots sports to formulate and implement a viable and sustainable programme.

Besides providing support in organising the workshop, MILO also developed a nutritional module that consists of basic and sport nutrition as part of the topic to be taught to teachers during the workshop.

A nutritionist is provided by MILO to ensure quality

engagement with the teachers during the session.

MILO believes in sports as a great teacher of life values. The collaboration with the Education Ministry is in line with its overall attempt to further cultivate a sporting culture among the younger generation, expose them to the benefits of active lifestyles and subsequently produce well-adjusted members of society.

MILO aims to equip at least one teacher from each primary school with knowledge and tools that will enable them to lay a quality foundation to nurture schoolchildren to be active and live a healthy lifestyle from young.

The 1Murid1Sukan (1Student1Sport or 1M1S) policy was introduced in 2011-2012. It underlines the intentions of the National Education Philosophy that aims to produce individuals who are well-balanced intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically.

MILO and the Education Ministry work together to accelerate this effort with the aim of equipping each primary school with a trained 1M1S teacher by the end of next year.

Since the collaboration in May this year, 46 sessions have been conducted and 1,482 teachers trained across Malaysia.

Water and environmentThe Nestlé environmental vision

goes beyond the current practice of minimising the environmental footprint and advocates a much broader concept of natural capital management.

Nestlé recognises that the long-

term success of the company is dependent on the sustainability of the world’s natural capital, which consists of all minerals, water resources, fossil fuels, biological resources and other resources that are utilised to manufacture products.

Nestlé’s commitment to water and the environment is further reflected through Project RiLeaf, which was launched in 2011.

This reforestation project aims to achieve forest connectivity as well as minimise water pollution from sedimentation and agricultural run-offs through the restoration of a “green” buffer zone along the lower Kinabatangan River in Sabah.

The project was further extended with the signing of a collaborative agreement with Sime Darby Foundation, which has committed to co-funding the project’s resources.

To date, more than 300,000 trees have been planted along the Kinabatangan River with the help of the local community.

“As an extension of the project, the company regularly engages oil palm smallholders to impart Good Agricultural Practices that aim to minimise oil palm’s environmental footprint and encourage RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil)-certified oil palm production.

“To date, we have 115 oil palm farmers who were audited and certified under the RSPO Group certification,” says Hofbauer.

Another one of Nestlé’s main projects is its Paddy Club. Launched in February 2012, this initiative sees Nestlé working with local farmers in Kedah and Sarawak in employing a new rice-growing process known as Semi-Aerobic Rice Intensification (SARI) that is both innovative and sustainable.

“We need environmentally friendly rice for the manufacturing of our high-quality infant cereals.

“This initiative will also provide additional income to our paddy

farmers while bringing about environmental benefits through more efficient water usage and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” explains Hofbauer.

Nestle’s Paddy Club membership began with just 20 members cultivating more than 49ha of paddy.

During last year’s harvest that took place between August and September, a total of 298 farmers successfully harvested 5,044MT (metric tonnes) of paddy from 788ha of paddy fields.

The national average rice yield currently stands at 3.7MT per hectare. With SARI, the farmers were successfully able to exceed this by achieving an average yield of 6.4MT per hectare.

“Farmers are taught to farm in an organic way with environment-friendly methods to increase high-quality yields, which we use as raw materials for our products,” says Hofbauer.

“It is a win-win situation for everyone – we invest in farmers and they provide us with quality raw materials.

“This is part of the Nestlé CSV philosophy, which states that we can create long-term shareholder value and benefit society simultaneously.”

Spicing up the community

Malaysian farmers in Kelantan supply fresh chillies to MAGGI as part of the Nestlé Chilli Club (NCC) contract farming scheme.

NCC is a collaboration between the Nestlé Agricultural Services Department and Pertubuhan Peladang Kawasan Bukit Awang.

In line with its CSV approach, Nestlé believes that to create long-term value for the company, it must concurrently create value for society.

Towards this end, the NCC helps improve the quality of life for the rural community by providing many farmers with a sustainable source of income, educating them on best agricultural practices to help them grow quality raw materials.

The farmers are then able to become responsible and reliable suppliers of good-quality fresh chillies to Nestlé.

In turn, Nestlé offers a fair market price for its produce. The company is pleased to note that the NCC has proven to be very successful, giving local farmers financial independence on top of improving their livelihood.

As CSV is such an integral part of how Nestlé runs its business, it is essential for the management to be personally involved in CSV strategies and policies.

“I am accountable for the success of the company, and success is not limited to profits but also how much value we create for the society in Malaysia,” says Hofbauer.

n For more information, visit www.nestle.com.my/csv

In line with Nestlé’s Creating Shared Value philosophy, Hofbauer says that carrying out projects that benefit the society plays a vital role in determining the company’s success.

To push forward the 1Murid1Sukan policy, MILO works with the Education Ministry to train teachers to nurture active and healthy lifestyles among students.

An agricultural officer (right) checking on the forest tree seedlings planted by one of the KAPOK members in Kampung Bilit Kinabatangan.

5THE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

6 csrTHE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

Support, growth, opportunityTHE Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF), which holds the ownership and equitable rights to 12 Sunway educational institutes, champions equal access to quality education.

This year, the not-for-profit organisation disbursed a record amount of RM45mil in scholarships to more than 3,000 recipients.

More than 3,000 recipients benefited from the recent JCF Scholarships and Awards Ceremony held on September 22.

This ceremony is held annually for Sunway University and Sunway College students who have exhibited outstanding academic and co-curricular achievements.

Over its 19 years of advocating and supporting learning without limits, JCF has given an excess of RM210mil in scholarships to a diverse group of more than 23,000 deserving students.

However, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, AO, founding trustee of JCF, emphasised in his speech at the ceremony that scholarships are not just about the numbers.

“It is the meaning and significance of the scholarship that matter. The benefits of quality education can never be quantified in absolute terms, but in the enormity and greatness of the impact it has on an individual’s life,” he said.

Bringing dreams to fruition

Dr Cheah’s dedication to making dreams come true began as a personal purpose. As a believer in the power of good education, he ventured into education in the

midst of the 1980s recession to do his part in building the nation.

It was a tough time then, when education was not as accessible or widely available as it is now. Dr Cheah saw many talented individuals who never realised their potential in his hometown of Pusing, Perak, and decided to make a change in his own way.

“The establishing of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation has to a large extent fulfilled my dream. Malaysia has an abundance of talented and bright minds with the potential to drive our country’s progress even further,” he said.

JCF is guided by the principles of giving to society through quality education in perpetuity, which it performs by channelling the assets and operating surpluses of the 12 Sunway Education Group institutions back into providing sustainable quality education through scholarships, research and upgrading of facilities and staff competencies.

In doing this, scholars who are innovators, thinkers and leaders are looped in to elevate the nation through education.

During the ceremony, Dr Cheah also expressed hope that these scholars would be open to providing opportunities to society by helping fellow school students and others in need, much as they were provided opportunities in education.

Global efforts elevate nation

Dr Cheah stressed the importance of continuous learning

for students to be on par with others on the international stage.

“In an increasingly challenging and competitive world, skills that are cutting edge in 2015 will become outdated next year, which is why it is important to never stop learning,” he said.

In line with this challenge, JCF will be strengthening its ties with foremost universities and research institutes all over.

This includes exciting new projects with the University of Oxford, most notably the Southeast Asian Studies Symposium 2015, which was held for the first time outside of Oxford in joint partnership with Sunway

University this year. Following its successful run, the

fifth symposium will be held at Oxford University in April next year.

JCF is also building on its past successes by introducing a full-fledged Center for Asia Leadership (CAL) in affiliation with the Harvard University Asia Centre.

The Sunway University campus has been chosen as the Asian base after two years of fruitful collaborations running the Asia Leadership Youth Camp and Asia Leadership Trek, among others.

“With CAL at Sunway, we can look forward to greater knowledge transfer via the in-flow of graduates from Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other Ivy League universities, who will bring with them cutting-edge knowledge and best world practices.

“There are already more than 20 leadership and strategy programmes lined up for next year, catering to different groups of students, youths and working professionals,” Dr Cheah shared.

Besides that, the Jeffrey Cheah Travel Grants to Harvard University are also in its second year.

Since last year, there have been six inbound Harvard scholars who visited Sunway University to

pursue their research in the South-East Asian region and nine outbound Sunway University and Monash University Malaysia scholars to Harvard University to advance their research and engage with eminent professors in their respective fields of study.

JCF plans to aid many more young academics and postgraduate students in learning, collaborating and exchanging knowledge, reaping the full benefit of the Harvard experience in years to come.

Expanding on the Harvard link, Sunway will soon partner with the leading Harvard Medical School to establish a regional hub for postgraduate medical education and training in Sunway Medical Centre, Bandar Sunway.

According to Dr Cheah, a signing has taken place between Sunway Healthcare Services Group, Sunway University and Harvard Medical School, after Harvard officials who visited the facilities were impressed that Sunway has the right ingredients and infrastructure to take the project forward.

“Needless to say, when it comes to fruition, this will be a major breakthrough in furthering the quality of continuing medical education in Malaysia. It will propel the country as a medical education hub to be reckoned with in Asean,” he said.

With all these and more in store, JCF is set to bring education to greater heights in the near future.

Furthermore, as Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said at the awards ceremony, JCF’s vision and efforts are in line with the Government’s aims under the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 for Higher Education.

On a personal level, Dr Cheah hopes that scholars share Sunway Group’s values of integrity, humility and excellence moving forward, using the scholarship as a stepping stone towards greater achievements.

He continues to champion his purpose through JCF and Sunway Group, elevating education in Malaysia and Asia as a whole.

n For more information, visit www.jeffreycheahfoundation.org.my

Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz (front row, sixth from right), founding president of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, delivered a keynote address at the Executive Leadership School, one of the many programmes organised by the Center for Asia Leadership.

Scholarship recipients and guests with guest of honour Minister of Higher Education Malaysia Datuk Seri Haji Idris Jusoh (standing, 11th from left) at the 15th Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) Scholarships and Awards Ceremony 2015 held at the Jeffrey Cheah Hall, Sunway Campus.

The 4th Southeast Asian Studies Symposium, the first to be held outside the University of Oxford, was officially launched by the Sultan of Perak H.R.H Sultan Nazrin Shah, an alumnus of the University of Oxford, who also delivered a royal keynote address at the event.

The STar, tuesday 15 december 2015

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Beyond educationProf Tan Sri Dr Ghauth Jasmon (pic) is director of the Board of Sunway University, chairman of the Jeffrey Cheah foundation Scholarships and Awards Committee and chairman of Malaysia Innovation Hub.

He talks about the expanding role and impact of JCf on the local education scene as well as upcoming efforts in growing the country’s research-based knowledge ecosystem.

Tell us about your involvement in education.from 2008 to 2013, I was the 10th University

of Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor. Prior to that, I was the founder, president and chief executive officer of Multimedia University for 11 years and the chief executive officer of Unity College International for 10 months.

During my time as the vice-chancellor of UM, I was fortunate to be part of driving the university to advance in the QS World University rankings.

We also managed to get into Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s top 500 Academic ranking of World Universities in 2010, where we have remained since.

I helped initiate the High Impact research (HIr) programme in 2010; in August 2011, we received special research allocation of almost rM600mil from the former Higher Education Ministry for UM HIr.

As an academic, I am a strong believer in research and I have contributed to more than 30 international journal papers, 45 conferences/seminars and other publications.

Why is JCF an important innovation for education?JCf was founded by Sunway Group’s founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr

Jeffrey Cheah, Ao, in 2010 when he transferred the ownership and equity rights of Sunway Education Group’s 12 learning institutions – which then was valued at rM720mil, and is today estimated to be worth more than rM1bil – into the foundation. It is now the largest education-focused social enterprise in Malaysia.

This unique operating model liberates the constituent institutions to pursue quality education instead of concentrating on the pursuit of profits, which most private universities are apt to do due to shareholder pressure.

This is a very effective model as we are seeing Sunway University climbing up in global rankings. Sunway University recently received five stars in teaching, facilities and employability in the QS World University rankings, which is regarded as one of the most authoritative rankings of its kind across the world.

This places it in the ranks of the best universities in the world

such as Princeton University and Stanford University.

This follows the No.1 ranking it has just received in Asia for employability as indicated by the i-Graduate Student Barometer Survey, a global benchmark for student experience.

JCf also acts to democratise access for quality education for deserving youths.

By disbursing scholarships to deserving youths, JCf enables bright, talented students who would otherwise be left behind to pursue their future.

This helps the nation build a strong talent pipeline to ensure that we remain competitive in a global economy.

JCf also acts as a bridge for knowledge exchange through academic and research collaborations with global education leaders such as Harvard University, oxford University, University of Cambridge, Monash University, Lancaster University and Le Cordon Bleu.

Besides enabling a two-way flow of scholars between Sunway’s institutions and the partner institutions, JCf also encourages research partnerships in South-East Asia through the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asian Studies.

How can JCF further its role in the field of scholarship and

education?one of JCf’s latest initiatives to deepen

research within the country is introducing PhD scholarships. The university has created 20 fully funded PhD studentships, which will be disbursed through JCf. The studentships, which will be for a duration of three years, will cover the programme fees of successful applicants and a monthly stipend of rM3,000.

Studentships, which are available to both Malaysian and international students, are available for business as well as computing and information systems programmes.

With more PhD holders in the country, we will also be able to elevate the quality of lecturers in the country.

Within the Scholarship Award Committee, we are currently looking at how we can work with other stakeholders such as government bodies, education institutions and media partners to reach out to more students in both rural and urban areas.

a sweet soundIN August this year, the Jeffrey Cheah foundation (JCf) raised rM70,000 through a charity recital called A Night of Musical Kaleidoscope.

The event saw close to 800 people at a musical extravaganza that took them on a journey through musical history.

It was presented by the Perak Society of Performing Arts, whose international ensemble comprises members from around the world led by renowned conductor Eugene Pook.

The performance featured acclaimed clarinet soloist Andrew Simon, who is also the principal clarinettist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestra.

Sunway University Ensemble, which includes several JCf Talent Scholarship recipients, also performed at the event.

This ensemble has garnered a steady reputation as a highly sought-after community ensemble for corporate events and benefits.

All proceeds from the event were channelled into supporting JCf Community Scholars, who are from homes and orphanages around the country.

JCf has aided 144 such bright students to date and will continue

the PsPa International ensemble comprises members from the united states, Hong Kong, singapore, the Netherlands, canada and malaysia.

to grant access to equal education. This year, another 20 young

Malaysians received the opportunity to pursue quality tertiary education with full tuition coverage, accommodation, living allowances and books.

Senior executive director of Sunway Education Group and Sunway University Dr Elizabeth

Lee expressed her gratitude on behalf of the group to “the many corporations and members of the public who have not only supported the JCf Community Scholars but also helped propagate an appreciation for music and performance” through their participation in the musical charity night.

Scholarship options abound

Merit-based

l Sunway University Postgraduate Degree Scholarship

l Sunway University Master’s Degree by Research Scholarship

l The Chancellors’ Scholarship for Sunway University and Lancaster University – Commemorates the Sunway University-Lancaster University collaboration in joint-degree programmes in the areas of business, computer technology, psychology and communication.

l Sunway Excellence Scholarship – Awarded to outstanding students pursuing degrees in actuarial science, financial analysis or financial economics.

l Jeffrey Cheah Special Entrance Scholarship – Awarded to enrolling freshmen in recognition of their prior academic achivements.

l Jeffrey Cheah Scholastic Award – Awarded to students with outstanding results in

their individual programmes at the end of their course at Sunway University.

l Jeffrey Cheah Travel Grants for Southeast Asia Studies at Harvard University – offered to students and staff of Sunway Education Group in collaboration with Harvard University to encourage greater research and knowledge transfer between leading individuals from both institutions.

l Sunway University CIS-ECA Scholarship – opened to all Chinese Independent School (CIS) students sitting for the UEC (Unified Examination Certificate) examination.

Need-based

l Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Community Scholarship – offered to 20 less-privileged budding potentials yearly for diplomas in business, events or hotel management, and information technology.

l Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Scholarship – for bright

young Malaysians with a monthly family household income below rM5,000 to pursue a diploma or a degree in select fields.

l Sunway Education Group-Elena Cooke Education Fund – for young Malaysians pursuing a diploma in select fields or a degree in computer science or business.

Need-based in collaboration with media organisations

l Nanyang Tertiary Education fundl Sin Chew Daily Education fundl Sun-MAPCU Scholarship Scheme l The Star Education fundl Sunway-Berita Harian Scholarship

Others

l BN Youth Scholarship Schemel Sunway Sports/ ECA Achievers’ Awardl Sunway Music Talent Scholarshipl Sunway Sports Scholarship

THE Jeffrey Cheah foundation provides opportunities for outstanding students who have displayed admirable achievements:

8 csrTHE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

Involvement in society

WESTPORTS Malaysia is a leader in the international port industry, offering an array of first-class services supported by suitable water depth and its prime position in the region.

These are delivered by a diverse workforce consisting of approximately 4,000 staff across multiple interconnected disciplines.

This seaport terminal grew from a small port in Pulau Indah to a mega hub for vessels from various shipping companies.

Over the years, the organisation has shared its wealth with the island community through various initiatives that seek to improve the community’s quality of life.

This includes programmes to eradicate poverty, enhance education, refurbish community facilities, care for the orang asli and ensure a safe environment for people of the island to flourish in.

Around 40% of Westports’ employees are residents of Pulau Indah, where the Westports Poverty Eradication Programme has played a great part in lowering the poverty rate.

The power of educationWestports has been supportive

of the three schools in Pulau Indah: Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Indah, Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Indah 2 and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pulau Indah.

Westports has sponsored these schools through the Trust School Program under Yayasan Amir to improve the quality of education for the Pulau Indah students.

For three days in April, the human resources department ran the Ponteng Sifar (Zero Truancy) campaign in these schools during assemblies to motivate students to attend school, following a drop in attendance last year.

To encourage better attendance and improve their performance in school, classes whose students collectively recorded the highest attendance rate were rewarded by Westports.

This also served as a motivation to all students to compete with each other to maintain their good attendance. Later that month, the same department organised an award ceremony for outstanding students of SMK Pulau Indah.

The top five students from Form Five and PT3 (Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3) examinations were among those presented with book vouchers in recognition of their

good examination results.“Westports has always

emphasised the importance of education; giving out the vouchers was simply a way of encouraging students to aim for greater achievements,” says human resource manager Rajendra Parshad.

Members of the staff are also ready to share their knowledge and provide guidance to young ones, as evidenced by various student engagement activities carried out earlier this year.

Their efforts included a motivational talk for candidates of major examinations and a talk for young women and female teachers of SMK Pulau Indah.

Younger students at SK Pulau Indah were treated to animated movies to improve their use and grasp of the English language.

Students were also delighted when they got a chance to participate in an abseiling crash course taught by Westports’ port police team. Over in SK Pulau Indah 2, pupils were given a different sort of lesson – a safety briefing with fire drill activities.

Creating, upgrading spaces

The company also contributes towards upgrading facilities. The finance department provided 100 new chairs for students of SK Pulau

Indah, for use in the examination halls.

The information technology department then set up a light-emitting diode electronic message board in the schools, too. The board serves as a device to send out important announcement to all parents and welcome visitors to the school.

In June, 20 civil, electrical and mechanical engineers used their skills for social good at the same school – they repaired the air-conditioners, fluorescent lights, ceilings and fans over the course of one week.

“The team got our input prior to the renovation to ensure that what they did counted and was not just for the sake of doing something, and for that, I cannot thank them more,” says one of the teachers Nor Afidah Basirin.

Another revamping project was previously carried out in March by the container department members, where they cleaned the Tabika Baitullah Husna kindergarten and installed a new playground for the children.

The team of 30 staff members unclogged drains, cut grass and raised RM1,500 to fix the premise’s leaking roof.

Besides their continuous presence in schools, Westports employees reach out to all members of the Pulau Indah community in other ways.

For example, engineers came together to refurbish the dilapidated Surau Haji Muhammad in March. The place of worship of the largely Muslim community in the area was given a fresh look with newly painted walls and clean, clear surroundings as well as pest control treatment for its termite infestation.

Pulau Indah also has an orang asli settlement, which was visited by a team from the conventional department at Westports in April.

Sixteen employees spent around 10 hours cleaning up pavements, trimming grass at the community hall lawn and collecting rubbish in the area.

Resident Tok Batin Intan spoke for the people when he expressed delight and appreciation at the company’s efforts to connect with and support the orang asli community, and hoped for similar activities to be carried out in the future.

Opportunities for betterment

Employees of Westports believe in their ability to create significant change for themselves and others around them.

This is embodied in the company’s business and social responsibility practices and can be seen in initiatives such as the mangrove replanting programme

held in May.Together with Infinity Logistics

and Transport Sdn Bhd, Central Spectrum Sdn Bhd and Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (Jaring), marketing and commercial department members planted 200 mangrove trees and seeds in Pulau Indah.

This was a vital step in setting up the first mangrove nursery in Selangor. Head of marketing P. Vijaya Kumar emphasises that mangrove forests are important to fishing communities in the coastal area because they rely on the biodiversity for survival and livelihood.

In the festive spirit back in July, the finance department presented essentials and Hari Raya goodies to seven underprivileged senior citizens on the island.

Led by chief financial officer and head of finance department Lim Beng Keem, the volunteers also spent some time speaking with and entertaining the senior citizens to remind them that they were not alone.

For many years, Westports has provided hardcore poor families and underprivileged senior citizens with financial assistance.

Whether for the old or young, Westports employees do what they can to put smiles on faces and make dreams come true.

The company joined hands with the Royal Selangor Yacht Club (RSYC) to sponsor 12 SMK Pulau Indah students in the beginner’s stage of the RSYC/ Westports Community Sailing Programme, which consisted of nine training sessions over the weekends.

These initiatives display Westports’ ongoing commitment in improving the standard of living in Pulau Indah as its staff feel a sense of social responsibility towards the community they are in.

Moving forward, the seaport terminal strives to enhance its efforts and support within the island and for society at large.

n For more information,visit www.westportsmalaysia.com

Students of SMK Pulau Indah with the Westports engineering team members during a port visit.

Westports’ business and social responsibility practices can be seen in its mangrove replanting initiative carried out in May.

Community Sailing Program participants from SMK Pulau Indah.

9The STar, Tuesday 15 december 2015

As a global technological giant, samsung Electronics Co Ltd inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions.

samsung is also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, its smart Home and Digital Health initiatives. It employs 319,000 people across 84 countries.

It is only natural that a company with such wide reach and influence engages in community-building programmes and activities. Locally, samsung Malaysia Electronics does this through its samsung Global Corporate Citizenship initiative, which champions causes in these areas:

Educationsamsung believes in the power of

education to transform lives and elevate a nation, especially when it breeds innovation.

This spirit was captured in the solve For Tomorrow competition, which saw 20 shortlisted student groups come together at the Learning Festival at the White Box @Publika and turn their ideas into prototypes that seek to solve everyday predicaments.

Ten finalists were chosen to present their ideas and prototypes to a panel of esteemed judges consisting of representatives from samsung Electronics, Higher Education Ministry, Malaysian Industry-Government Group for Higher Technology and MyTriz innovation association. The participants and judges engaged in a five-minute presentation and five-minute question-and-answer session.

Incidentally, the judges’ top three favourite ideas were ones that merged the areas of health and technology: the Flex Controlled Electrical Wheelchair and Lower Extremity Exoskeleton Device projects from Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC) students, as well as the Portable Rehabilitation for the Disabled prototype by a Monash University Malaysia participant.

These winners shared the prize of a RM60,000 seed grant to advance their prototypes, were awarded internships with samsung Malaysia and took home the latest

AdverTOrIAL

TRANSFORMATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

samsung devices.Members of the top three teams

will also benefit from a learning trip to south Korea, where they will meet and speak with key minds at the samsung headquarters to learn what it takes to shape the future with transformative technological solutions.

There was also a People’s Choice Award, which went to another TARUC team’s Insect Zapper project that made catching insects easier by increasing the swing area of the device while using less wrist energy.

A learning forum on Innovation in Education was also held on the same day – featuring opinion leaders and experts in the areas of technology and innovation – to discuss whether key stakeholders were doing enough to encourage students to embrace innovation and the spirit of technopreneurship.

HealtH and medicalIf education is the backbone of a

country’s success, then upgrading its provision is a step in the right direction for developing communities.

Malaysia has a growing pool of medical talent and skills supported by technological advancements in areas such as medical imaging.

It is fitting, then, that samsung launched the UKMMC-samsung sONO school in collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) in November.

This school will offer programmes and practical training as part of the Continuing Medical Education programme, in line with the Health Ministry’s objective to increase the number of certified sonographers in the country.

Developed with imperative input from medical specialists, the school provides training for medical professionals, including doctors, radiologists and lab technicians nationwide who attend at least one training session quarterly.

They undergo specialised training in obstetrics/gynaecology and radiology, which is made possible with top-notch medical equipment such as the samsung Ws80A Elite OB/GYN ultrasound and the samsung Rs80A Prestige radiology ultrasound machines.

These machines promise better-quality imaging by incorporating latest technologies, which will enhance user experience and also workplace productivity, allowing professionals to make more accurate diagnoses in providing the best

healthcare services.This public-private partnership is

therefore set to enhance quality healthcare education for medical practitioners, thus elevating the standard of healthcare in the country, as emphasised by samsung Malaysia Electronics’ director of corporate affairs Datuk Roh Jae Yeol: “The UKMMC-samsung sONO school aims to provide medical practitioners with quality training in ultrasound to enhance their diagnostic skills.

“We hope the school’s focus on education and training for medical practitioners will benefit the healthcare industry and go some way to improve lives”.

The UKMMC-samsung sONO school is the second of its kind after the University Malaya Medical Centre school. Through these schools, samsung hopes to develop training hubs to elevate medical knowledge, expertise and service in Malaysia.

EmploymEnt and community

Under the 11th Malaysia Plan, the Government aims to produce more technical talent to support development in pursuit of first-world status – it wants the workforce to

constitute 35% skilled workers by 2020.

samsung heeded the call to produce more skilled and knowledgeable employees, working together with the Manpower Department of the Human Resources Ministry to launch Malaysia’s second samsung TECH Academy in sabah in september.

Located in Kota Kinabalu’s Industrial Training Institute (also known as ILP), this academy provides specialised training courses that comprise month-long training programmes conducted as part of the Certificate in Electronics Industry programme at the institute.

students undergo 100 hours of vocational training in both technical theory and hands-on exposure for smart televisions and smartphones – two of samsung’s leading product categories.

Instructors at ILP were trained by samsung’s technical experts so they are able to better prepare future technicians for their professional growth in the industry.

This will be supported by a constant upgrade of modules to match industry demands. For example, the Diagnosis and Repair of smart TV, and smartphone modules will be continually refreshed to maintain relevance to current samsung products. Modules on samsung air-conditioning system, washing machines and refrigerators are also in the pipeline.

students who complete their vocational education at ILP, including the two modules offered at samsung Tech Academy, will graduate with the sKM 3 Certification that will open the doors to skilled job opportunities within the electrical appliances industry.

“The samsung TECH Academy in Malaysia is part of a global initiative to increase the number and quality of technicians, address the deficiency of technical talents and ultimately meet market employment needs,” says president of samsung Malaysia Electronics Lee sang Hoon.

The only other samsung TECH Academy in the country is located in Kuala Lumpur and has benefited about 134 students from seven courses to date. As of December last year, 116 samsung TECH Academies have benefited approximately 15,779 youths worldwide.

The three winning teams and the team who took home the People’s Choice award pose for a victory photo with (second row, second from left, from left to right) Datuk Roh Jae Yeol, director of Corporate Affairs samsung Malaysia Electronics; Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff sulaiman, chief executive officer, MiGHT (Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology); and Lee sang Hoon, president, samsung Malaysia Electronics.

Together with Human Resources Minister Datuk sri Richard Riot Anak Jaem (seated seventh from left), the first batch of ILP Kota Kinabalu students celebtrates the completion of their course at the JTM-samsung TECH Academy. A demonstration of the samsung ultrasound machines.

10 csrTHE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

Spreading the spirit of ‘amal’By GREGORY BASIL

PERFORMING good deeds is an integral aspect of the Islamic faith. It is fitting then that Bank Islam chose the name AMAL, which means good deeds or actions in Arabic, as its corporate responsibility (CR) brand.

Officially established on July 6 this year during the holy month of Ramadan, the AMAL brand was set up to expand the social impact of Bank Islam’s CR activities.

The brand name was also initiated to encourage Bank Islam’s customers and vendors to team up with the financial institution in carrying out various CR programmes. With the inception of AMAL, all welfare-related activities by Bank Islam carry this brand name.

Armed with the AMAL brand, Bank Islam wasted no time in expanding its reach to communities across the country throughout the year.

Reaching out AMAL’s latest CR project – the

AMAL Bank Islam-Salam Relief Temenggor-Belum Expedition – took place last month and ran over a course of three days in Kampung Sungai Chiong, a village located deep within the Temenggor-Belum Forest Reserve.

A total of 60 people, including Bank Islam staff and representatives from eight non-profit organisations (NGOs) – Salam Relief, Lepsa Care, Muslim Chef Association, Sabasun, Haluan, Pertubuhan Amal Penyayang Selangor, Wanita Prihatin and Shah Alam Komuniti – travelled to Temenggor-Belum to provide the 300 orang asli villagers with free medical care, food items and other necessities as well as sports equipment and toys for the children.

This village was handpicked for this project because it had the biggest population out of any other orang asli settlement in the Temenggor-Belum area.

The team also took with them prayer kits and provided the villagers with much-needed moral and religious support to help strengthen their faith.

Due to its remote location, the village did not have a proper water supply system so the villagers had to go back and forth from the

nearby lake to fetch water.Realising how tedious and tiring

this process was, Bank Islam and the NGO volunteers installed a new piping system from the lake to the village, providing the residents with easy access to fresh water.

In addition to carrying out these activities, the team found time to interact with the villagers and engage in friendly games of football, sepak takraw, congkak and handball. The villagers were also treated to cooking workshops and musical performances.

“We have always wanted to carry out an integrated community programme and we have achieved this through the Temenggor-Belum expedition.

“We hope that this expedition has helped strengthen this orang asli community and that we left the village and its residents with a positive impact,” says head of regional office (northern region) Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Akhir.

Fostering unityRamadan is a meaningful period

when the spirit of “amal” is especially important to Bank Islam. During the holy month this year, the AMAL team decided to focus on underprivileged students.

This is because these schoolchildren are often neglected as people generally give special attention to orphans and senior citizens at this time of the year.

Various activities were also organised by AMAL, including bubur lambuk distribution to toll

users on AKLEH highway in Kuala Lumpur as well as taxi drivers at natural gas vehicles gas stations and the taxi stand in KL Sentral just before the time of breaking fast.

Ramadan this year saw 867 individuals and 37 institutions (orphanages, NGOs, surau, mosques, schools and more) receiving zakat totalling more than RM200,000.

Another of Bank Islam’s CR initiatives, Program Ibadah Korban, takes place during the first four days of Aidil Adha, another important event on the Islamic calendar.

Every year, one village or town from each of the five regions across Malaysia is chosen as venues for the programme.

Employees are encouraged to contribute funds for the purchase of cattle and they are allowed to select the state to which they intend to consign their portion.

“Besides having the opportunity to contribute foodstuff to communities, the aim of this programme is to foster unity and camaraderie. It also gives us the opportunity to celebrate and feast with the villagers.

“Various activities such as telematches, colouring competitions, futsal and Quran reciting contests were organised concurrently to keep the children and teenagers entertained while the adults work towards getting the meat ready for distribution,” says chief syariah officer Mohd Nazri Chik.

Making education funBank Islam’s other CR projects

hold true to the belief that education should be afforded to all children.

For example, the bank recently collaborated with Petrosains, the science centre, to organise the Visit to School Programme and the Science Show Competition. As a sponsor, Bank Islam contributed a total of RM500,000 to these two programmes.

The Visit to School Programme involved 87 secondary schools across the country where workshops were carried out in 20 school locations.

The main objective of this programme is to engage and inspire students with comprehensive hands-on activities based on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts.

The Petrosains Science Show Competition, meanwhile, was open to all secondary schools students in Malaysia. Students presented experiments to illustrate a scientific theory, either in teams of two or individually.

“We believe this fun and exciting approach to learning science is very effective compared to the traditional way of learning from a book and in school laboratories,” says managing director Datuk Seri Zukri Samat.

The grand finals of the nationwide competition were held on Oct 29 in Kuala Lumpur, where SMK Tamparuli, Sabah, emerged

as the winner.

A new lease on lifeAnother AMAL initiative – Projek

Bantuan Rumah (Housing Aid Project), which has been ongoing since 2008 – has become more relevant now with the sharp rise in property prices in recent years.

This market trend, coupled with the rise of homelessness, exemplifies how tough it is for those suffering from extreme poverty to own a home, which is a basic need of every human being.

Since the inception of this project, 212 marginalised families have been provided with comfortable homes.

There are also added benefits to this project, especially to local businesses, as Bank Islam makes sure that the contractors involved in this project are local companies.

Early this year, Bank Islam also contributed RM1.1mil to Kelantan for building house and rehabilitation as part of its Flood Relief Programme. The money was spent on the construction of 27 new houses and repairs to one house.

Going forwardEvery year during the monsoon

season, Bank Islam volunteers are actively involved in flood-relief activities in affected areas.

However, during the worse-than-expected flood early this year, priority in the distribution of basic necessities such as rice, cooking oil, biscuits, blankets, clothing, gas stoves and rice cookers had to be given to Bank Islam staff and their families who were in dire straits.

“Nonetheless, whatever items left over were distributed to other flood victims. During the devastating floods last December and January this year, our volunteers stopped to help people they encountered during the course of their journey before continuing on,” says Zukri.

“Last year’s floods were especially damaging and we had to close down 15 of our branches in Kelantan and Terengganu as the floods had affected more than 100 of our staff members.

“Armed with basic necessities, the AMAL team set out to the east coast to provide assistance to our colleagues who were affected by this disaster,” he explains.

For Bank Islam, CR initiatives have always been more than just donating funds to the needy. The bank has always encouraged its staff to roll up their sleeves and engage wholeheartedly in all its projects, with the belief that a lot more can be achieved when staff and community come together to serve a common purpose.

AMAL will welcome donations from the public and corporations towards its CR activities in the near future so that more people can get involved and more can be done to help those who are in need.

n For more information, visit amal.bankislam.com.my

Bank Islam Regional Consumer Business (Southern) manager Ahdan Shariff Muhammad hands a cash donation to Chang Jee Kee, whose 22-year-old son Rafael Chang Lin Hoe has multiple disabilities, including blindness, Down syndrome and autism, during Program Ibadah Korban in Malacca.

Datuk Seri Zukri Samat (right), Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid (fourth from right) and Petrosains chief executive officer Tengku Nasariah Tengku Syed Ibrahim (fifth from right) during the prize-giving ceremony of Petrosains Science Show Competition 2015, which was sponsored by Bank Islam.

A volunteer doctor treats a child during Bank Islam staff’s three-day visit to Perkampungan Orang Asli Sungai Chiong in Temenggor-Belum, Perak, as part of the AMAL Bank Islam-Salam Relief Temenggor-Belum Expedition.

11THE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2015

THE STAR, TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 201512