• Tarikh Kemaskini 20 December 2019

In collaboration with the MyKasih Foundation, Petronas embarked on a three-year community outreach programme to empower the country’s poor and hardcore poor.

Called the “Sentuhan Harapan Programme” (A Touch of Hope), the initiative aimed to facilitate socio-economic development for the underprivileged communities and to guide, encourage and support them by promoting sustainable self-development among these groups.

First launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on 22 July 2010 in Sarawak, they later launched a series of events in Johor, Melaka and Sabah in 2011, Kedah in 2012 and recently in Pahang and Terengganu.

The programme, which benefited 13,500 poverty-stricken families throughout the country, provided its beneficiaries with essential food aid such as rice, flour, cooking oil for a maximum period of two years.

Besides this, the families were also allowed to participate in activities to encourage self-development aimed at enhancing their skills and capabilities to help lift them out of the poverty cycle.

With the support of the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), almost 5,000 families under the programme were educated on basic financial literacy and health.

To improve the socio-economic standings of the extreme poor families, Petronas appointed Mostwell Sdn Bhd. to provide 200 single mothers, unemployed or handicapped women with sewing skills through a six-day training programme.

The programme consisted of motivation and self-realisation sessions, marketing and management courses with theory and practical sessions, application of various functions of the sewing machine, and nine sewing projects.

The recipients were also provided with a multi-purpose sewing machine among other tools.

They also conducted an Entrepreneurship skill training for 500 unemployed recipients who were interested in starting up businesses to improve their income.

 

Source : The Star Online