KUALA LUMPUR: Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s impact-based foundation Yayasan Hasanah has deployed aid and assistance to provide flood relief efforts in Penang, Kedah and Perak.
It is working through its Civil Society Partner Organisations (CSPOs), government agencies and the GLC Disaster Relief Network (GDRN) to provide immediate humanitarian relief and support for those affected by the floods in the three states.
In a statement today, Hasanah said the efforts include funding to support non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which are currently responding to the needs of flood victims in Penang by providing food and hygiene kits as a priority.
For this purpose, Hasanah had allocated initial funding for Gabungan Bantuan Bencana Banjir NGO Malaysia (BBNGO) to help provide assistance to 400 families covering food, medical aid and hygiene kits to flood victims in Seberang Prai Utara and Seberang Prai Tengah, Penang.
The foundation is also on standby to support these NGOs during the recovery phase, which will include the cleaning up and rehabilitation of homes, public amenities and facilities.
Hasanah is also hosting the GDRN Operations and Coordination Center (Ops Center) at its office in Kuala Lumpur.
Together with GDRN members, the Ops Center will ensure that the support provided by GDRN is coordinated with other GLCs and the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), and resources are fully optimised and efficiently deployed.
The GDRN was established by Khazanah in 2013 in its capacity as the Secretariat of the Putrajaya Committee on GLC High Performance (PCG).
The GDRN has had successfully deployed various relief and reconstruction work between 2013 and 2016, especially in the big floods in Kelantan, Pahang, and Johor, amongst others.
Hasanah’s Managing Director, Shahira Ahmed Bazari said the foundation is working together with various organisations, including some of its partners that are operating in Penang.
“The safety of the people is important; therefore, we are trying our best to coordinate the resources that we have to help as much as we can with local agencies.
“We are here for the long term and we pray for some relief and ease for those affected by the floods.”
Prior to the operationalisation of Hasanah in 2015, Khazanah had been supporting the emergency, recovery and preparedness response phases of natural disasters, especially floods, since 2013.
In 2013 and 2014, Khazanah allocated RM10 million and RM20 million respectively for flood relief efforts across the nation.