CIMB’s Harapan Ramadan 2023 programme impacts over 33,000 individuals nationwide; contributes close to RM1.9 million to communities in need

Media: Pocket News

Section: Nation 

Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Group Holdings Berhad (“CIMB Group” or “the Group”) continues to actively support communities in need through the Harapan Ramadan programme. In conjunction with Ramadan and the upcoming Hari Raya, the community outreach programme is jointly led by CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad (“CIMB Islamic”) and CIMB Foundation with contribution of close to RM1.9 million, positively impacting over 33,000 individuals nationwide.

The programme is a collaboration with six non-governmental organisations (“NGO”), namely Islamic Relief Malaysia, Yayasan Belia Malaysia, Yayasan Kita Anak Malaysia, Persatuan Belia Seri Cempaka, Pusat Jagaan Kesayangan Mumtahanah and Maahad Tahfiz Nadi Huffaz, as well as 12 other orphanages. 

Beneficiaries of this year’s Harapan Ramadan consist of the B40 and Asnaf communities, including heads of families, single parents, children, people with permanent disabilities (“OKU”), refugees, senior citizens, and other underprivileged communities across the country. The programme included distributions of essential items such as rice, canned food, cooking oil and other staples to the underserved community in preparation for the festivities. In addition, cash allowances were also provided to the orphanages for their necessities, as well as for all the orphans to shop for ‘Baju Raya’ or any apparel of their choice. Building on the festive spirit, CIMB continued to spread cheer by supporting several Iftar sessions with the beneficiaries.  

Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff, CEO of CIMB Islamic said, “Many communities have been severely impacted by adversities, such as the COVID-19 and recent floods. As a purpose driven financial institution, CIMB has always been at the forefront of providing support to all groups of society. As such, we are pleased to return once again with the Harapan Ramadan programme, together with our partners to help alleviate the burden faced by the communities this Holy month. We hope our contribution can be a beacon of light for those in need, and we remain committed to finding ways to achieve long-term positive impact that can benefit the Rakyat.

“The month of Ramadan provides us the opportunity to amplify our good intentions and share our blessings with the communities we serve across Malaysia. This certainly aligns with one of CIMB Foundation’s impact areas, which is health and community wellbeing where we provide assistance to communities in need. Together with CIMB Islamic, the Harapan Ramadan programme is indeed an impactful initiative as we provide aid to the underserved through our community outreach programmes,” said Rafe Haneef, CEO of CIMB Foundation. 

Through CIMB Islamic, the Group has championed various initiatives for the Asnaf and the B40 communities, whilst supporting the development of underprivileged groups through programmes, such as the Program Keusahawanan Taylor’s – CIMB Islamic, the iTEKAD CIMB Islamic Rider Entrepreneur Programme, International Islamic University Malaysia (“IIUM”) – CIMB Islamic iTAAJIR Programme and CIMB MicroBizReady. These initiatives aim to empower B40 entrepreneurs by providing them with training and mentorship to enhance their entrepreneurship skills that will help them improve their livelihoods.  

Meanwhile, CIMB Foundation serves as the Group’s corporate social responsibility and philanthropic arm, focusing on four impact areas i.e. education; health and community wellbeing; economic empowerment as well as climate and environment. These contribute towards sustainable impact for the surrounding communities, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.