CIMB Foundation empowers the disabled

Kuala Lumpur: Being disabled should never be a deterrent for anyone to excel and prove to the society that they are capable individuals. Their greatest wish is to be given fair opportunities including the chance to obtain formal education, professional training and employment.

CIMB Foundation’s Chinese New Year celebration today was a showcase of what the disabled can achieve if given the right opportunities. Four (4) non-government organisations (NGOs), who are among CIMB Community Link’s beneficiaries, were present at the event - Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled, Pusat Majudiri ‘Y’ for the Deaf, Persatuan Braille Malaysia, and Persatuan Wushu, Tarian Naga dan Singa Jing Ying Kuala Lumpur. Through various initiatives, their members were provided with facilities and training to promote self-sufficiency and enabled some of them to earn an income.

Funded by CIMB Foundation, 15 individuals from the Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled were able to take up broadcasting courses at The Voice Academy where they had an opportunity to run their own programme for the disabled on AiFm, a Chinese radio station under RTM and collaborated with NTV7 to produce a Chinese New Year programme in 2008; 14 individuals from Pusat Majudiri ‘Y’ for the Deaf (known as “YMCA Deafbeat”) were trained to play traditional Chinese drums and in performing arts and have since successfully performed in a number of public events; over 200 copies of the al-Quran in Braille format were produced and distributed to various schools for the blind enabling them to learn to recite the verses; and an acrobatic lion dance programme was specially tailored for enthusiastic deaf youths and coached by the Persatuan Wushu, Tarian Naga dan Singa Jing Ying Kuala Lumpur. The acrobatic lion dance troupe has been invited to perform at various events during the recent Chinese New Year celebrations including the CIMB Foundation event today.


“Through Community Link, CIMB Bank and CIMB Islamic branches have identified many worthy causes to be funded to benefit the communities served by the branches. We are very pleased with the results of these programmes, and the beneficiaries present today are a small cross-section of our success stories,” said Dato’ Sri Nazir, Group Chief Executive of CIMB Group. “I am proud of their achievements and we intend to continue our support through CIMB Foundation and empower these and other individuals to look beyond their disabilities and be independent,” he added.

CIMB Foundation also presented RM5,000 to each of the 4 NGOs. Datin Sri Azlina Aziz, wife of Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak, presented the mock cheques to the representatives of the organisations.

CIMB Community Link, is an initiative of CIMB Foundation, implemented by leveraging on the nationwide reach of CIMB Bank and CIMB Islamic’s 367 branch network. Over 180 projects with a budget of RM6.2 million have been allocated to Community Link projects since the inception of the programmes in May 2007.


Sources: CIMB Foundation