Butterworth, 21 December 2017 – Starting from November 2017, an unusual amount of rain caused several areas across Malaysia to be inundated by floods which left many families destitute.

Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), realising the urgent need to provide aid to flood victims especially in hard to reach areas, collaborated with Sime Darby Plantation and Medical Relief Society (MERCY) Malaysia to provide hygiene kits, food items and other necessities to 3,012 families in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Sabah.

YSD Chief Executive Officer Puan Hajjah Yatela Zainal Abidin said the Foundation was committed to provide support towards families who were left without homes and basic necessities during the floods.

“We hope our assistance provides the much-needed support to alleviate some of the burden of affected families during these trying times,” she said.

“Our collaboration with MERCY Malaysia enabled the Foundation to reach out to families in need in remote areas, by providing medical care and medication to flood victims. We also assisted flood victims by providing necessities such as drinking water, hygiene kits, cleaning kits as well as school supplies – things many of us take for granted.

“We are thankful to be able to provide important assistance which will make a difference, while these families are rebuilding their lives.”

To date, YSD has mobilised 993 hygiene kits to flood victims in Tasek Gelugor, Penang and Pasir Mas, Kelantan as well as distributed 366 cleaning kits and 820 cartons of drinking water to villagers in Kota Belud, Sabah. A total of 20 staff volunteers from YSD and Sime Darby Plantation also participated in the emergency responses.

YSD’s collaboration with MERCY Malaysia also enabled a mobile clinic to be set up in Tasek Gelugor, Penang to offer medical assistance to flood victims injured after devastating floods hit the state early November 2017.

The mobile clinic was set up in Kampung Desa Puri in Tasek Gelugor on 8 November 2017, with 12 medical practitioners from MERCY Malaysia who provided medical aid to 376 patients at 11 locations over a period of four days. A total of 271 children of families affected by the floods in Kampung Nyior Sebatang, also in Tasek Gelugor, received Back to School supplies which include school uniforms, shoes, socks, school bags and stationery.

YSD’s flood relief assistance were also in the form of TESCO vouchers worth RM700 each distributed to 75 Sime Darby employees who were affected by the disaster in Butterworth and Georgetown in Penang and Kulim, Kedah.

In addition, 234 families in Bedong, Kedah received post-flood relief assistance of a 2kg bottle of cooking oil and a rice cooker each while 517 families in Bagan Dalam, Butterworth received gas stoves with double burners – to help them towards recovery from the floods.

YSD’s flood relief assistance falls under its Community & Health pillar. Since 2009, YSD has, to date, committed RM138.6 million towards community-based programmes, initiatives, advocacy and research efforts targeted at increasing the well-being of disadvantaged people, reducing socio-economic disparities as well as enhancing the welfare of neglected children, senior citizens, vulnerable women, physically challenged individuals and other marginalised groups.