KUCHING: A sum of RM200,000 was raised in support of Teratak Kasih Tok Nan, a one-stop support centre for people living with HIV in Kuching, Sarawak, during a charity dinner held as part of Hilton Kuching’s 30th anniversary celebration on Sunday night.
Present were Minister of Tourism, Arts,Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who represented the Chief Minister, Patron of Teratak Kasih Tok Nan, Datuk Amar Hajjah Jamilah Anu, Chairman of Malaysian AIDS Foundation, Professor Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President of Malaysian AIDS Council & Trustee of Malaysian AIDS Foundation, Bakhtiar Talhah, President of Sarawak AIDS Concern Society, Dr Yuwana Podin and General Manager of Hilton Kuching. Hamish Watts.
All the proceeds raised from table sales during the Charity Gala and an array of Hilton Hotel & Resorts staycation auction were contributed to Teratak Kasih Tok Nan Centre.
The centre established by Malaysian AIDS Foundation is a corporate social responsibility partner of Hilton Kuching. It is underprivileged patients who are in need of a place to stay when seeking treatment at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) here.
Teratak Kasih Tok Nan, the labour of love of Datuk Amar Datin Patinggi Hajah Jamilah, stems from her compassion to help the underprivileged community members impacted by HIV in Sarawak. It drove her to lead a very successful fundraising campaign for MAF till today.
Run by the Sarawak AIDS Concern Society ( SACS), a partner organisation of the Malaysian AIDS Council, the centre offers community-based HIV testing, counselling, treatment literacy, and legal and welfare service referrals, in addition to providing life skills training and other social reintegration support to its beneficiaries
General Manager of Hilton Kuching, Hamish Watts, said: “Collaborating with Malaysian AIDS Foundation was an easy decision as we have had a long history since 2011, when we hosted World AIDS Day Celebration and a special stage presentation where People Living with HIV shared their stories with local audience.
“It was unprecedented and was truly an eye-opening event that helped to demystify the disease and raise awareness about stigma and discrimination,” added Hamish.
Abdul Karim, in his speech, and congratulated Hilton Kuching on its 30th anniversary. He said Hilton Kuching was an icon of Sarawak tourism industry symbolising the move towards progress and the emergence of modern Sarawak.
Abdul Karim added Hilton Kuching had served the city well, providing a reliable, trustworthy and comfortable home for visitors from near and far.
He said it was truly humbling to see that Hilton Kuching had decided to dedicate its 30th Anniversary Gala to help the Malaysian AIDS Foundation in its pursuit to improve the quality of lives for People Living with HIV.
Abdul Karim also announced his contribution of RM30,000 to the foundation.
Chairman of Malaysian AIDS Foundation, Professor Dato’ Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said the charity dinner raised more than RM200,000.
“With the proceeds, we hope to see Teratak Kasih Tok Nan provide a community-based testing for HIV for many years to come.
“We are working to end AIDS in Malaysia and around the world.
“We hope our partnership in the state will lead to the end of AIDS in Sarawak,” she said, adding that presently, there were 1,000 HIV patients receiving treatment at SGH.
The gala dinner featured entertainment by Sarawak-born songbird, Dayang Nurfaizah, and local singer, Bob Yusof.
Joanne Kam, Malaysia’s undisputed Queen of Comedy, also made a special appearance.
Apart from that, the guests were also treated to a sumptuous multi-course dinner presentation that captured the best of the hotel’s 30 years of culinary history, faithfully created by its executive chef, Alex Wong.
At the dinner, mock cheques from Yayasan Sarawak (RM10,000), Datuk Amar Hajah Jamilah Anu (RM20,000) and San Chin -BBC JV Sdn Bhd (RM20,000) were received by the Malaysian AIDS Foundation.
