KUALA LUMPUR: Impact-based foundation of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Yayasan Hasanah launched its 10th edition of The Hasanah Report (THR) 2023, revealing a total of RM223 million worth of funds disbursed in 2023 with a reach of 2.9 million people in Malaysia across all layers of society.
According to the report, a total of RM1.6 billion worth of funds have been disbursed to date since 2015, across core areas of education, community development, arts, heritage and culture (AHC) as well as environment and knowledge.
The report marks a decade of Yayasan Hasanah being the leading foundation in Malaysia’s philanthropic sector, going beyond charity but anchored in the concept of social justice for the rakyat.
“When we look back at the milestones achieved by our partners, a unifying theme emerged: the inspiring stories of trailblazers, stereotype-breakers and courageous dreamers.
These are the people who are forging new possibilities and shaping our collective future narrative, which is what inspired the theme of our report this year of ‘Reinventing our Future: Harapan Tanpa Sempadan’,” said Yayasan Hasanah Trustee and Managing Director Dato’ Shahira Ahmed Bazari.
In the report, Hasanah highlighted one of the many livelihood programmes supported by the Ministry of Finance, namely the Blind Planters Programme in Terengganu which offers training for visually impaired individuals to become planters, cultivating the Terengganu Sweet Melons to generate income, successfully harvesting a collective total of 387kg of the fruit to date.
This initiative not only challenges the stigma surrounding blindness but also broadens the horizons of career options for the visually impaired as well as inspiring new perspectives in empowering other vulnerable communities, especially the B40 community.
The foundation also recognised the exponential growth of numerous community leaders who have emerged through programmes supported by Hasanah, such as the Temiar Orang Asli community in Perak, who – with the leadership of the Tok Batin – have transformed their village into an ecotourism destination, creating sustainable income opportunities, generating close to RM 40,000 in revenue within seven months from its launch.
Within the environmental sector, Hasanah has been steadfastly supporting Roots & Shoots Malaysia since 2019 which began with a handful of dedicated youth volunteers and has grown into a movement empowering 317 young individuals.
The volunteers are allowed to collaborate with a diverse array of NGOs, amplifying their impact and contribution to environmental causes.
Emphasising the power of the Public-Private-Philanthropy partnership model, Shahira added, “We’re excited to see the involvement of youth across various impact areas – from education to community development – underscoring their potential to shape Malaysia’s future.”
