Throughout the year 2022, Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad (“Berjaya Sompo”) under its ESG Social Pillar initiatives has partnered with Yayasan Generasi Gemilang to educate and provide basic needs to vulnerable communities by assisting in their livelihood and providing learning opportunities to the children in the B40 community.
The collaboration saw volunteers from Berjaya Sompo and Generasi Gemilang reached out to around 100 families from the Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) communities through various programs such as the toddler’s nutrition program, a nutrition-sensitive social protection program in PPR Taman Putra Damai, Lembah Subang. It aims to improve the nutrition and health of children below three years old suffering from the triple burden of malnutrition (undernutrition, hidden hunger, and micronutrient deficiency). The activities with parents and children include nutrition education as well as engagement activity to build nutrition awareness through creative meal preparation, which encourages children to eat healthily.
Berjaya Sompo and Generasi Gemilang have also organised an education mentoring session for children to experience inclusive learning opportunities. Volunteers were assigned to a group of four students each to the Chocolate Museum, where the children learned about the history of chocolate and had the opportunity to taste some of the chocolates too. A cooking class was held as part of the toddler’s nutrition program for families to come together and learn how to prepare healthy meals while saving costs.
“An article by UNICEF reported that before COVID, 5.6 percent of Malaysian households (405.4 thousand) lived in poverty. In 2020, the number of households living in poverty rose to 639.8 thousand due to the pandemic. The study highlighted the affected families and their children who live in low-cost flats experience multi-dimensional poverty from malnutrition and poor access to education. We are honoured to have Yayasan Generasi Gemilang as a partner in our efforts to do our part for the well-being and social inclusion of these families through these initiatives to bring a positive change for the B40 community in Malaysia,” said Mr. Tan Sek Kee, Chief Executive Officer of Berjaya Sompo Insurance.
Ms. Melissa Ngiam, Chief Executive Office of Generasi Gemilang added, “If there was one other thing that came out of the pandemic is that Malaysians are compassionate. Together with Berjaya Sompo, we could provide our services in-person to combat issues of nutrition and literacy with a personal touch, making all the difference in providing a hand-up instead of just handouts. Together, we saw 30 families and 80 students turn a family cooking class into community memories and an outing to a museum became a celebration of our students’ learning efforts and character growth. By working together, we not only ensured that fewer are left behind but the shared spirit of care in our society is passed on to the next generation, making this another step in closing the gap to break the poverty cycle."
Berjaya Sompo strives to continuously contribute towards sustainable educational efforts that aims to empower and equip children from all walks of life with the necessary skills to face the future.
This content is provided by Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad
