KUALA LUMPUR, 30 November 2012 - Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), the philanthropic arm of Sime Darby Berhad, celebrated its 30th anniversary today, reaching yet another important milestone in its illustrious history.

A dinner held to commemorate the special occasion saw YSD’s donors and beneficiaries coming together to celebrate the initiatives undertaken by the foundation. The dinner, held at the poolside of the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) in Bukit Kiara, was attended by more than 200 guests, including YSD’s chairman Tun Musa Hitam, co-founder YM Tunku Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Ahmad Tunku Yahaya, Sime Darby Group interim chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman, and President and Group Chief Executive, Dato’ Mohd Bakke Salleh. 

In addition to showing appreciation to its partners and stakeholders for their collaboration over the years, Tunku Ahmad, one of the co-founders of YSD was honoured for his dedication, hard work and long-time contribution which helped pave the way for the foundation to grow and develop over the years.  

Tunku Ahmad was presented with a batik painting drawn by a local artist, depicting the five pillars of YSD namely education, community development, youth, sports and recreation, arts and culture and conservation of the environment and protection of ecosystems.  

Awards were also presented to four beneficiaries for the roles they played to create awareness and high impact of the projects and causes they championed. The recipients, Borneo Rhino Alliance, Yayasan Chow Kit, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) and Malay Cricket Association of Malaysia, each received a painted leaf-motif glass award and a cheque for RM5,000 to be used towards benefiting their respective projects. 

Tun Musa, in his welcoming address, said he was proud of the close relationship the foundation has forged and nurtured with its beneficiaries over the years. 

“Without all of you, we would not be where we are today. We are humbled by your presence here today, which in itself is a testimony of our close relationship and friendship." 

“Thank you for helping us to achieve all that we have set out to do and make a difference in the lives of those we touch through our work with you. We hope all of you will continue to help the foundation grow and reach out to other worthy causes and projects, so others too can benefit,” Tun said. 

Tun Musa later launched YSD’s new corporate video, which depicts the five pillars and the projects currently undertaken by the foundation.  

One of the highlights of the evening was a cake cutting ceremony, with the cake incorporating YSD’s “Big 9” animals - namely the Malayan sun bear, Orangutan, Malaysian elephant, clouded leopard, hornbill, banteng, proboscis monkey, Sumatran rhinoceros and Malayan tiger, which are endangered species not only in Malaysia, but also globally. Guests were also entertained with performances by the ASWARA dance troupe, the Roger Wang Trio jazz band and ethnic Malay musicians Dewangga Sakti. 

The foundation, which turned 30 on June 9, initially started out with the disbursement of scholarships to deserving local students via the YSD – Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship Programme in 1982.  

Following a revamp in 2008, four more pillars were added to YSD in addition to education - conservation of the environment and protection of ecosystems; youth, sports and recreation; arts and culture; and community development, allowing YSD to take on many new and interesting projects. 

Today, the scholarship programme has reached out to students in other parts of the world, including Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Liberia with more than 1,800 recipients benefiting from scholarships worth RM184.33 million. 

The scholarship programmes available under the foundation are the YSD Excellence Scholarship Programme (bonded scholarships for outstanding achievers), YSD 'Star' Scholarship Programme (for individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation in their areas of strength), YSD Skills Enrichment Programme (for students from low-income households who are inclined towards vocational skills),YSD Special Needs Bursary Programme (for disabled students) and YSD Special Support Bursary Programme (for underprivileged students from families with a household income of below RM2,500). 

YSD funding comes from the six divisions of the Sime Darby Group, up to RM100 million annually, which is channelled to various initiatives under its five pillars. The foundation also works closely with the divisions within the Group, particularly in areas of mutual interest.