Report by Khazanah Research Institute
According to a 2014 report by Khazanah Research Institute, while Malaysia’s overall poverty rate has fallen over time, the country still sees 0.6% of its population unable to fulfil basic needs. This group of Malaysians also do not have access to basic amenities such as electricity, water and medical care.
The boys at Pusat Jagaan Baitul Hidayah were exposed to fertigation farming as part of their training to generate income.
“Poverty eradication is not just a noble effort; it is an effort required of every one of us in order to ensure that every Malaysian can lead fair and equitable lives,” Tan Sri Faizah Mohd Tahir, Chairman of Yayasan Sejahtera mentioned. Yayasan Sejahtera aims to help the extreme poor based on the Poverty Line Index (PLI) by taking a holistic and community-driven approach towards creating a sustainable impact which is premised on four building blocks:
- Supporting basic food needs
- Providing basic community services
- Building/rehabilitating homes
- Supporting sustainable livelihoods
For their Hari Hasanah, Yayasan Sejahtera visited Pusat Jagaan Baitul Hidayah in Puchong, a home for children between 7 – 15 years old. The centre encourages the young ones to be self-sustainable, learn problem solving skills, while balancing their emotional and mental development. Sustainable activities ensure that the place is taken care of, while allowing children to develop essential life skills. These include selling plants via the nursery and vegetables grown on the farm, as well as providing fresh pastries to the community from the newly minted bakery.
Yayasan Sejahtera donated agricultural equipment for Pusat Jagaan Baitul Hidayah in supporting their cause towards sustainable livelihood.
To support their sustainable efforts, Yayasan Sejahtera provided the home with necessities such as quails, beansprouts and a fertigation water pump for their agriculture initiatives, baking trays and a cake mixer for their bakery. The afternoon was also spent understanding what the children are involved in. “In line with our projects to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of the vulnerable communities in Malaysia, we want to be able to support the underprivileged who are trying to make a difference, even from a young age”, said Suheilah Abu Bakar, Chief Operating Officer, Yayasan Sejahtera.