25 MAY, ARA DAMANSARA – Sime Darby Property Berhad (“Sime Darby Property” or “Company”) announced today the successful completion of the Company’s inaugural Economic Empowerment Programme (“EEP”) to support B40 communities living within its townships. Close to 80% of the 49 programme participants residing in the Sime Darby property townships of Ara Damansara, Bandar Bukit Raja, Bukit Subang and Putra Heights in Selangor, have recorded increased income during the first phase of the 6-month programme which began in October 2020.
The Company collaborated with People Systems Consultancy (“PSC”), a multinational social enterprise dedicated to eradicating poverty, with focus on several goals under the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (“UN SDGs”), on the programme.
Sime Darby Property’s Group Managing Director, Dato’ Azmir Merican, said that the EEP extends the Company’s commitment towards building sustainable communities through equitable growth for all stakeholders within its townships.
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“We will continue to support national economic recovery efforts through impactful programmes to benefit all our stakeholders, focusing more on B40 communities within our townships. EEP’s commendable results gives us the confidence to extend the programme at our other townships to benefit more communities. The programme has equipped the participants with social media marketing knowledge, as well as enhance their e-commerce business acumen to create a sustainable income stream which will benefit them for the long-term”, he said at the virtual closing ceremony of the programme’s first phase held today.
Sime Darby Property is committed to deliver on its Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) commitments which are aligned with the UN SDGs via 18 Sustainability Goals targeted to be achieved by 2030. Participants were coached individually on a variety of topics including financial management, business innovation and data analysis, among others, as well as undergo five half-day online training courses followed by a structured three months of mentoring via telephone conversations and online mentoring classes.
At the same virtual event, Raymond Gabriel, Executive Director of PSC, added, “It has been an honour to partner with Sime Darby Property to impact underprivileged communities through programmes which are designed to uplift participants’ livelihoods. We believe in the sustainability of EEP to be implemented further at other Sime Darby Property townships. The tangible results from this programme are good examples for other organisations to learn more on how they could help small business enterprises and the B40 community with valuable skills and knowledge.”
