Yayasan Hasanah: Strategic Partnerships with Civil Society Organisations Impacted the Lives of 113,431 in 2019

KUALA LUMPUR,Malaysia,May 14,2020 -- Yayasan Hasanah ("Hasanah"),the foundation of Khazanah Nasional Berhad,continues to catalyse,empower and enable civil society organisations to undertake community initiatives that improves the lives of vulnerable individuals and families across Malaysia.

Shahira Ahmed Bazari,Trustee and Managing Director,Yayasan Hasanah

"In 2019,we partnered with 37 civil society partner organisations and social enterprises in 45 projects worth a total of RM91.7million across the country,focusing in our five impact areas,which are education transformation,community development,environmental conservation and the mainstreaming of arts and culture. To date,Hasanah has reached about 455,000 beneficiaries since 2015,working with 63 partners and 100 projects as a whole," says Shahira Ahmed Bazari,Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah.

"Our model of support and collaboration has enabled us to harness the power of 'We' in the social ecosystem,to achieve greater,deeper,and more sustainable impact," Shahira continues.

"I got the funds near Raya and they came in handy to purchase an oven," explained Siti (not her real name) who sells baked goodies and meal packs.Siti,who received RM2,000 in micro-financing for her baking business with the help of Women of Will (WoW),a Hasanah partner,is able to increase her income by 50% with the help of WoW's Entrepreneurial Development Programme.With delivery areas now extending outside PPR Lembah Subang,where she is based,Siti now uses riders to cover Ara Damansara and Kelana Jaya to serve her clienteles.In 2019,WoW awarded micro financing to 45 women from the B40 income group. Currently,the total number of women assisted through this programme since 2015 stands at 506.

Siti's story is just a fragment of many impactful stories that strategic collaborations can result in. WoW President,Datin Wira Goh Suet Lan,weighing in on the partnership with Hasanah,opined,"The impact of our work with economically disadvantaged women and their communities has been strongly supported by Hasanah's deep understanding of community engagement and its commitment to it. We are deeply grateful for this partnership which extends beyond sustainable programs,and which have helped develop us as a stronger organisation on many levels."

The Hasanah Report 2019 (THR19) launched digitally on 8 May 2020,outlines Hasanah's impact through strategic partnerships with various stakeholders,including government,civil society and social enterprises.

"The true value of the collaboration between all parties extends beyond tangible measures of digits,ringgit and sen and encompasses various aspects including capacity building,governance and accountability measures,communication,connecting the dots and enabling a more strategic and streamlined coordination of efforts," says Shahira.

Education transformation is a key focus area for Hasanah where almost 60% of its funds are directed to; largely represented by Yayasan Khazanah's prestigious scholarship programme as well as the Trust School Programme. The flagship Trust School (Sekolah Amanah) Programme is a national-level education transformation in partnership with the Ministry of Education,has thus far impacted 90 schools,more than 65,000 students and 4,700 teachers since its inception in 2011.

Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim,Director-General of Education Malaysiaalluded to the value of the ministry's partnership with Hasanah. "For a decade now,the Trust School programme has partnered with 90 government schools under the Ministry of Education (MOE). The importance of public-private partnership such as that of the trust school programme is highlighted in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013 - 2025. The significant improvement recorded across all the trust schools is testament to the systemic changes that can take place through this private-public partnership model. The trust school programme has improved teacher competencies as well as school leadership and maximised student engagement in schools. There is also a greater degree of parental participation in those schools. We strongly believe that the positive impact of this programme goes hand-in-hand with MOE's efforts in improving the quality of education in schools."

"The social sector is by no means excluded from having to adapt to the times as well. This is something we have witnessed through our collective COVID-19 response efforts. The best way for the social sector to move forward is together- through collaboration,coordination,communications,connecting the dots and continuously building capacity and capability," Shahira says,explaining the foundation's hopes to shift the needle of social and community reform towards a stronger Malaysia,through collective and collaborative means.

The fully digital and interactive The Hasanah Report 2019 (THR19) can be accessed at https://thr2019.online/ while photos and additional resources can be accessed at https://cutt.ly/bymRuWI.

Yayasan Hasanah ("Hasanah") is the impact-based foundation of Khazanah Nasional Berhad ("Khazanah"),the sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia. Hasanah was set up as an independent entity on 01 July 2015,building on nine years of Corporate Responsibility (CR) efforts previously driven by Khazanah. As a grant-giving organisation,Hasanah goes beyond dollars and cents to facilitate an ecosystem of transformation,working in collaboration with multiple stakeholders,infusing a spirit of advocacy and building capacity in five key focus areas: Education; Community Development; Environment; Arts and Public Spaces; and Knowledge. Collectively and collaboratively,Hasanah hopes to shift the needle of social and community reform for Malaysians,to- wards a better Malaysia.

For more information on Yayasan Hasanah,visit www.yayasanhasanah.orgor contact Zarif (Executive,Communication Yayasan Hasanah) at +6019 284 1431 or zarif.ismail@hasanah.org.my.

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