SUNGAI PETANI, 18 November 2019 – McDonald’s Malaysia today announced the company’s
contribution of more than RM560,000 through various initiatives to the Kedah rakyat through its
Community Programme. The McDonald’s Community Programme is an initiative by the leading quick-service restaurant to give back to the underprivileged communities nationwide.
“As a business entity that is 100 percent owned
by Muslims, it is a religious commitment for us to pay zakat to be distributed
to those in need. We have been contributing zakat since 2017 under Lionhorn Pte
Ltd, a unit of Reza Group,” said Azmir
contribution of more than RM560,000 through various initiatives to the Kedah rakyat through its
Community Programme. The McDonald’s Community Programme is an initiative by the leading quick-service restaurant to give back to the underprivileged communities nationwide.
The presentation
of the contributions was held at McDonald’s latest restaurant in the state, the
McDonald's Aman Jaya Drive-Thru in Sungai Petani. Among the community
initiatives announced were McDonald’s business zakat contribution, appointment
of youths to participate in McDonald’s SLDN training programme, and the
presentation of “Back-to-School” packs to primary school children from urban
poor and underprivileged families.
“Helping the
underprivileged community is a core value of McDonald’s Malaysia. The
McDonald’s Community Programme underscores our commitment to carry out
community engagements nationwide as part of the company’s corporate social
responsibility efforts,” said Azmir Jaafar, Managing Director and Local
Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia.
"With the
opening of our latest restaurant in Kedah, we are able to continue contributing
to the local economy through job opportunities and talent development. At the same
time, it enables us to reach out to more people from the underprivileged
community through our many engagement initiatives,” added Azmir, who is also
President of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Malaysia. RMHC is
McDonald’s charity of choice.
YAB Dato’ Seri
Utama Haji Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, Menteri Besar of Kedah, was the guest of honour
at the event today.
“Under the Kedah
2020 Budget, the state government places a lot of emphasis on the
underprivileged community, allocating over RM4 million to assist the
underprivileged in efforts to eradicate poverty, as well as to carry out social
development projects,” said Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mukhriz.
“Every effort
carried out by McDonald’s Malaysia in the state is a reflection of its strong
commitment to improve Kedah’s socio-economic status. We commend McDonald’s
Malaysia’s Community Programme, as it benefits the Kedah rakyat as a
whole,” added Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mukhriz.
McDonald’s Malaysia’s business zakat
contribution
McDonald’s
Malaysia fulfilled its zakat obligation to the state of Kedah for the year 2019,
contributing a total of RM101,000.
McDonald’s
Malaysia recently received the Corporate Zakat Contribution Certificate by Pusat
Pungutan Zakat Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (PPZ-MAIWP), and is in
fact the first business to receive this recognition.
McDonald’s youth employment initiative through
NDTS
McDonald's
National Dual Training System (NDTS) is an 18-month industry-oriented training
programme which combines 70 percent of practical training in McDonald's
restaurants and 30 percent of theoretical lessons in the classroom.
This
fully-sponsored programme is accredited by the Department of Skills Development
(DSD) – one of the efforts by the quick-service restaurant to elevate the
standards of the company’s human capital development, and nurture new talents,
in line with the national agenda.
"We are
excited to welcome youths from the state of Kedah to participate in our
training programme. We hope that through this programme, the selected
individuals will learn the necessary skills to thrive and embark on promising
careers that will help enhance the economic status of their families,” said
Azmir.
The NDTS
programme is part of the McDonald’s Community Programme organised for youths
from the underprivileged community. Once these trainees pass the assessment and
final test of the programme, they will be qualified for employment at McDonald’s
restaurants.
Each
trainee will be given a monthly living allowance of RM1,200, medical and
insurance benefits, as well as free meals.
“Back to
School” Programme
1,680 children
from 56 schools throughout Kedah will receive “Back-to-School” packs this year.
The "Back-to-School" programme is an annual initiative led by
McDonald's Malaysia and its charity of choice, the Ronald McDonald House
Charities (RMHC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
The
“Back-to-School” 2019 programme, launched in Kuala Lumpur in mid-October, is
the largest so far – with RM3 million raised in order for 30,000 primary school
children from urban poor and underprivileged families to receive “Back-to
School" packs ahead of the 2020 school year. The packs will be delivered
in stages to other states in Malaysia until the end of the year.
Each
"Back-to-School" pack, worth RM100, consists of a set of school
uniform, a pair of shoes, a pair of socks, and a school bag.
In 2018,
McDonald’s Malaysia and RMHC delivered “Back-to-School” packs worth RM1.7
million to 17,000 primary school students. The year before that saw McDonald’s
Malaysia and RMHC reaching out to 6,000 students with RM1.2 million raised.
RMHC is McDonald’s Malaysia’s charity of choice that
aims to help underprivileged children in Malaysia. To donate or volunteer for
RMHC Malaysia, please contact the headquarters of RMHC Malaysia at 03-7843 3388
or visit https://rmhc-malaysia.my/get-involved/make-a-donation/.
