BATA Malaysia recently presented school shoes to a total of 55 children from Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Buloh for the new school year.
Accompanied by their parents, a few community facilitators along with Bata Malaysia representatives, the children had the opportunity to select their preferred school shoes at the Bata outlet in Nu Sentral.
The children, aged between 6 to 21 years old, were thrilled to receive their brand new pair of school shoes as well as formal shoes for those currently pursuing their tertiary education.
Nazriel Hashrin Fadzil, 11, said he was happy to receive a brand new pair of school shoes for the new school term, while tertiary education student Morven Anak Manu, 18, said he choose a pair of formal shoes for college.
Bata decided on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative after the president of Majlis Pengurusan Komuniti Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Buloh, Hanim Apeng, contacted the company in the hopes of acquiring school supplies for the underprivileged kids in the community.
Bata’s Senior Manager of Corporate Business Development, Datuk James Selvaraj said as an established corporate brand in Malaysia, Bata was moved by the request and took the initiative to organise this special programme as part of its CSR initiative.
“We believe that through this small gesture, we would be able to reduce some of these parents’ expenses in terms of preparing their children for the 2019 school year,” he said.
The company also acknowledges the fact of how the simple lack of proper school shoes can adversely affect a student’s academic life and will take necessary measures to assist where possible.
This donation by Bata was made through the Bata Children’s Program (BCP). This program, launched in 2011, is Bata’s employees’ volunteer-led community initiative that focuses on helping underprivileged children in countries where the brand is present. BCP is dedicated to the idea that every child should be provided with the opportunities to help them reach their full potential.
