LETTER | The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) and our partner Engage are astounded by the generosity of Malaysians of all walks of life in this time of health and economic crisis.
Last week, we set a new target of raising another RM100,000 to bring our total raised since the start of our #MakanKongsi campaign to RM460,000.
As of today, 1,525 people have donated RM461,735 to #MakanKongsi and we have given out 63 small grants totalling RM372,959 to 35 dedicated partners.
Our partners have been working tirelessly every day since the start of the movement control order (MCO) to ensure that the most vulnerable communities do not go hungry.
#MakanKongsi does not distribute meals, money or essential provisions directly to the over 10,000 beneficiaries we have reached so far. We rely entirely on the efforts of our partners who work for the needy throughout the country.
Many are established non-government organisations (NGO) with good track records but there are also individuals who have swung into action driven by their compassion.
Many of them have sacrificed their time and own money to buy provisions for total strangers regardless of nationality, ethnicity or creed. #MakanKongsi exists to support them in their selfless acts so that they need not be financially burdened and be freed from the need to raise funds themselves.
We have established a clear application and accountability process for these partners to access the funds donated by the public.
They can apply to us online and if they fulfill our stringent criteria, our approval committee can transfer the funds to them within 24 hours, sometimes within the same day.
Partners are required to submit brief reports with photographic evidence of beneficiaries receiving the aid.
#MakanKongsi continually seek to improve the level of our transparency and accountability to our donors and to this end we have provided a link for the public to view the list of our partners, grants awarded, number of beneficiaries, communities, localities, amount donated, the amount disbursed and the balance in our fund. You can view the list here.
The funds donated to #MakanKongsi have reached the homeless, B40 group, Orang Asli/Asal, single mothers, handicapped, transgenders, migrant workers from Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Rohingya, Sri Lankan, Myanmar and Pakistani refugees. Many of them were in hunger when #MakanKongsi was contacted for assistance.
We also want to acknowledge the support of media organisations like Malaysiakini who provided free banner advertisement on their portal and The Edge for providing us with a half-page advertisement in their award-winning weekly publication. Their solidarity with the vulnerable during this time is most commendable.
We hope that the fight against Covid-19 will be successful and the MCO can be lifted soon but until then, the needs of these vulnerable communities remain and as such we will continue to receive donations to support our NGOs and individual partners. Every life matters and every ringgit donated counts.
You may donate through our payment partner Bold.pay by using your credit card, debit card, online banking (FPX), e-Wallet (Boost, Grabpay, TnG, MCash, QRPay) by clicking on this link:
https://boldpay.cc/Catalogue/makankongsi
Or bank in directly to our account at:
Bank: Maybank (PJ Old Town Branch)
Name : Bersih & Adil Network Sdn Bhd
Account No: 512295102931
Reference: MakanKongsi
If you require a receipt from us, please email your banking receipt to [email protected] after you have transferred your money.
This statement was issued by Bersih 2.0 and Engage.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
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