13 DECEMBER, KUALA LUMPUR – Mah Sing Foundation (MSF) has been conferred the ‘Best of the Best’ Award and the “JCI Sustainable Development Award Goal 2 – No Hunger at the prestigious Junior Chamber International Malaysia Sustainable Development Award 2021 (JCIM SDA 2021) held recently. MSF was recognised for its efforts through the Sustainable Livelihoods Project for the rural communities in Kota Belud, Sabah.
The project, under the MSF Life+ flagship programme aims to improve the standard of living for the underserved communities in rural Malaysia providing sustainable livelihood opportunities and better health. The project, which is being carried out in collaboration with Hopes Malaysia, a Sabah-based non-profit organisation, is aimed at 37 households in four villages: Kampung Bokilong, Kampung Tudan, Kampung Podos, and Kampung Kaung Ulu. Designed to address the main problems that the villagers are facing, the project has impacted more than 200 individuals and have successfully increased an average of 45% of their household incomes.
Mah Sing Foundation’s Chairman, Dato’ Indera Syed Norulzaman Bin Syed Kamarulzaman said, “We are incredibly honoured and humbled to have received these two outstanding awards. This honour is a testament to our efforts and commitment to improving the villagers’ standard of living, achieving economic independence, and promoting long-term development in distant Sabah. The project not only educates the people about sustainable agriculture, but it also boosts their income and improves the quality of their food.”
“Understanding the community’s needs and aiding them in improving their livelihood will immensely benefit the youngsters, who are our future leaders, according to MSF. This is in accordance with our goal of improving the well-being of underprivileged children through community and health-based programmes that have a long-term impact,” added Dato’ Indera Syed Norulzaman.
Throughout the project, the villagers were taught farming techniques, such as identifying high-yielding crops and rearing and selling tilapia and chicken, which resulted in the diversification of their income source and the provision of food security for their families, in accordance with SDG Goal 2: No Hunger. The project has also positively impacted the villagers, especially during the pandemic lockdown, as they were able to be self-sufficient and did not need to travel out of town to get fresh food supplies. With the success of the programme, MSF and Hopes Malaysia are looking at extending the project to four other surrounding villages in 2022, which is estimated to impact about 50 villagers.