MAH Sing Foundation (MSF) has been conferred the “Best of the Best” award and the JCI Sustainable Development Award Goal 2 –- No Hunger at the Junior Chamber International Malaysia (JCIM) Sustainable Development Award 2021.
The foundation was recognised for its Sustainable Livelihoods Project for the rural communities in Kota Belud, Sabah.
The project, under the MSF Life+ flagship programme, aims to improve the standard of living for underserved communities in rural Malaysia by providing sustainable livelihood opportunities and better health.
It is helping 37 households in four villages — Kampung Bokilong, Kampung Tudan, Kampung Podos and Kampung Kaung Ulu.
Designed to address the main problems that the villagers are facing, it has impacted more than 200 individuals and successfully increased their household incomes by an average of 45%.
MSF is carrying out the project in collaboration with Hopes Malaysia, a Sabah-based non-profit organisation.
Mah Sing Foundation chairman Datuk Syed Norulzaman Syed Kamarulzaman said, “We are incredibly honoured and humbled to have received these two outstanding awards. This honour is a testament to our efforts and commitment to improving the villagers’ standard of living, achieving economic independence and promoting long-term development in Sabah.”
He said the project not only educated the people about sustainable agriculture, it also boosted their income and improved the quality of their food.
“Understanding the community’s needs and aiding them in improving their livelihood will immensely benefit the youngsters, who are our future leaders.
“This is in accordance with our goal of improving the well-being of underprivileged children through community and health-based programmes that have a long-term impact,” he added.
Under the MSF Sustainable Livelihoods Project, the villagers were taught farming techniques, how to identify high-yielding crops as well as rearing and selling tilapia and chicken.
The result is diversification of their income source and provision of food security for their families, in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal number 2: No Hunger.
The Livelihoods project had especially helped the villagers during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, as they were able to be self-sufficient and did not need to travel out of town to get fresh food supplies.
With the success of the programme, MSF and Hopes Malaysia are looking at extending the project to four other nearby villages in 2022, which is estimated to impact about 50 villagers.
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