FIVE IMPOVERISHED SCHOOLS IN KELANTAN TO BENEFIT FROM HEALTHY MEALS PROGRAMME ‘PROMAK’ BY KFC ADD HOPE MALAYSIA AND YOKUK
KELANTAN, 21 NOVEMBER 2019 – KFC Malaysia and YOKUK, ‘A Foundation for the Disabled & Underprivileged’ have come together once again to bring PROGRAM MAKANAN KESIHATAN (ProMak) 2019/2020, a special food programme that provides daily healthy meal to schools in Kelantan, powered by KFC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive – Add Hope Malaysia.
Add Hope Malaysia presented a total of RM250,000 cash donation to YOKUK in a fund handover ceremony held at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Tanah, Pasir Puteh Kelantan. The mock cheque was handed over by Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azahari Mohamed Kamil, Managing Director of QSR Brands (M) Holdings Bhd (QSR Brands) to Datin Suliana Shamsuddin Alias, Chairman and Executive Director of YOKUK. This ceremony also marks the official launch of the ProMak 2019/2020.
About 644 schoolchildren from five schools will benefit from ProMak 2019/2020, which will be coordinated and monitored by YOKUK and executed by school, with the supervision by dietary officers from the Health Ministry for six months duration. The five schools involved are Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang Kerila, Tanah Merah, Sekolah Kebangsaan Kg. Bahagia, Kuala Krai, Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Tanah, Pasir Puteh, Sekolah Kebangsaan Biak, Dabong, and Sekolah Kebangsaan Baroh Pial, Pasir Mas. Through this programme, each student is given a healthy lunch box, served at school five times a week.
“Malnutrition has a direct impact on mortality, morbidity, education and long-term neurodevelopment. In line with KFC Add Hope commitment to fight hunger, this food programme aims to empower these young generations with nutritious meal that is essential in developing healthy bodies and minds. They are our future, and this is our step in helping them reach their full potential,” said Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azahari Mohamed Kamil, Managing Director, QSR Brands.
“This collaborative effort between KFC Add Hope Malaysia and YOKUK began in 2015, and we have been able to serve more than 3,000 schoolchildren from 18 schools under the programme thus far. This would be impossible without the generosity shown by our fellow Malaysians. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our KFC customers for their generous contribution towards Add Hope.” he added.
“YOKUK has been serving the disabled and underprivileged communities in Kelantan for the last 20 years reaching out throughout the State for those in need, providing a wide range of services from rehabilitation, welfare and palliative care services. Beyond preventing childhood malnutrition among schoolchildren in rural areas of Kelantan, the impact of ProMak particularly can be seen in many other parts. Most of the schools have shown a record improvement in terms of students’ attendance and co-curriculum achievement; which in turn, allow their parents to focus on their jobs to support the family,” said Datin Suliana Shamsuddin Alias, Chairman and Executive Director of YOKUK.
Joining the fund handover ceremony was Malaysian celebrity and campaign spokesperson, Awal Ashaari. “I am grateful to be part of this meaningful journey with KFC Add Hope. It is truly gratifying to see the smiles of these children and today has inspired me to work harder and give every bit I can to help. We hope that the delicious meals provided by ProMak will boost the children’s motivation to come to school every day and help them to stay focus in class,” said Awal.
Add Hope is KFC’s global Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. This CSR initiative aims to highlight and drive support for the effort to end world hunger. This includes raising money annually for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies around the globe.
2019 marks the 13th year that KFC Malaysia has supported this global initiative to end world hunger. To date, the campaign has raised more than RM27.5 million locally. Apart from YOKUK, Add Hope Malaysia is also working closely with PERTIWI Soup Kitchen, KECHARA Soup Kitchen Society, HOPE Worldwide Kuala Lumpur, Yayasan Chow Kit, Malaysia Red Crescent (MRC) Community Services – Johor Bahru, as well as the Welfare Department and the Education Department in reaching out to the underprivileged communities.
