AMMA Foundation is aiming to raise RM1mil over the next three years to expand its provision of interest-free study loans and scholarships.
This will be done under its flagship Hope (Harnessing Opportunities for Pathways in Education) initiative, said foundation president Datuk Surendran Menon.
“Sometimes hope is exactly what a young person needs. Not sympathy, not charity, but an opportunity. An opportunity to believe that where they come from does not have to determine where they can go.
“The financial circumstances of parents should not determine the limits of their children’s dreams and opportunity to believe that when one door appears closed, someone may help them open another,” said Menon at the fundraising event held at the foundation’s premises in Kelana Jaya, Selangor.
He said visionary members of the Malayalee community in Malaysia came together in 1975 to help the next generation gain access to higher education.
“We help young Malaysians achieve their dreams through education, by making it accessible to all through interest-free study loans,” he said.
“We have disbursed more than RM7mil to support students in pursuing their education and build successful careers.”
Menon said the foundation launched the Hope initiative in 2025 in collaboration with 11 leading institutions.
The initiative offers students from B40 and M40 households access to affordable education through scholarships and study loans.
“Through Hope, we have been strengthening our efforts to provide not only financial assistance but also mentorship, guidance and structured development opportunities.
“This reflects our belief that students require a holistic ecosystem of support to succeed in today’s evolving educational landscape,” he said.
Members of the public who wish to contribute can do so by establishing a family or individual education endowment fund, contributing to the Future Learners Fund or sponsoring a student.
He added that interested parties could also create an educational legacy.
“You can create a fund under your parents’ name, your family name or in memory of someone who gave you an opportunity in life,” said Menon.
“By doing that, you are creating something that can outlive all of us.
“The education a young person receives becomes part of that person’s life. Its impact can be passed down from one generation to another.”
Also present were beneficiaries of the foundation’s education assistance programmes.
One of the recipients was Shelina Sarawanan who received the foundation’s Padma Chandran Scholarship.
She is currently pursuing her Foundation in Law at Brickfields Asia College.
Her parents died when she was a child, and she was raised by her grandparents.
Shelina said she was fortunate to be able to pursue higher education with help from the foundation.
She said it was her dream to become a lawyer, and hoped to give back to society in future.
Another beneficiary Ayden Ainsley Pereira, who was raised by his single mother, is pursuing a Diploma in Business Administration at Sunway College.
