KUCHNG: Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (SME Bank), through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, has again assist the frontliners by channelling contributions worth RM50,000 to the National Security Council (MKN).
Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Deputy Minister Datuk Wira Mas Ermieyati Samsudin presented the contribution to the MKN (Strategic Security) deputy director general Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus in a simple ceremony.
Wira said she is proud with the efforts made by SME Bank in helping the frontliners during this Covid-19 pandemic.
“This contribution will ease the burden of the government as well as responding to the call for all agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to work together through this difficult period,” she said.
She added that as a caring and responsible Development Financial Institution (DFI), the contribution given is in the form of packed food to frontliners who are on duty during the movement control order in selected government hospitals nationwide and also agencies under the MKN.
Meanwhile, SME Bank group president/chief executive officer Aria Putera Ismail said the CSR programme will be carried out simultaneously at 26 SME Bank branch networks nationwide.
“This is the first time ever we are doing it this way. We are planning to execute the distribution on Dec 16 this year,” he said.
He said SME Bank decided to make such contribution because they are moved by the perseverance of the frontliners who sacrifice their time and energy to save people’s lives.
“This fight against Covid-19 is a shared responsibility. This contribution is part of SME Bank’s on-going efforts to help the government in addressing the issue of Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Apart from the contribution to MKN, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, SME Bank had also made corporate contributions and zakat amounting to more than RM300,000 to several agencies such as the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), Ministry of Health Malaysia (MoH), Malaysian Red Crescent Society and selected government hospitals across the country in last April.
The contributions were used for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the frontliners and medical equipment to treat Covid-19 patients.
Besides providing assistance to the frontliners, SME Bank also conducts entrepreneur development programmes to enable micro and small entrepreneurs to continue their business.
Among the CSR programmes that are being implemented is the “Penjana Komuniti@SMEBank” programme involving 20 selected B40 micro entrepreneurs which aims at stimulating their economic activities that are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This hands-on training programme is to improve the entrepreneurs’ skills in running their online business to enable them to sell products or services and manage their business systematically. The “Penjana Komuniti@SMEBank” programme will be extended nationwide next year.
