PETALING JAYA: Khazanah Nasional Berhad's Yayasan Hasanah has supported 132 new social impact projects and worked with 111 social impact partners while managing and disbursing RM222.3 million in funding for 2022.
Its trustee and managing director, Datuk Shahira Ahmed Bazari, said the foundation managed and disbursed funding across its five core focus areas. These are education, knowledge, community development, the arts and public spaces, and the environment.
She said in 2022, Hasanah together with the Finance Ministry launched the Hasanah Special Grant 2022 (HSG2022) to amplify its grants programme. This enabled the foundation to support more partners benefitting a greater number of people and families in need, including new environmental projects covering flora and fauna.
"For example, in addressing post-pandemic learning loss, HSG2022 supported the 'Literacy and Numeracy Rehabilitation Project' by Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) and Wesser Solutions Sdn Bhd, which enriched the country's existing remedial programmes in schools.
"With the State Education Department of Perlis, the programme assisted 2,300 students in all 74 primary schools in the entire state," she said at the presentation of The Hasanah Report 2022 annual report here.
Also present at the annual report presentation were Yayasan Hasanah chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof, chief financial officer Sharifah Norjumiza Syed Agil and chief impact officer Aditi Malhotra.
She added that in empowering communities, Hasanah through HSG2022 also supported Dapur Digital 2022 by Pepper Labs Sdn Bhd at the People's Housing Projects (PPR) Kerinchi.
"The programme enabled micro entrepreneurs to produce larger amounts of food in a cloud kitchen, thus achieving better income than running their business from their homes."
In the art scene, Hasanah's Arts for All Seasons (ArtsFAS) grant awarded the local arts scene with RM4.15 million in programme funding and economic opportunity.
"Jointly with the Finance Ministry, ArtsFAS brought to life 107 shows and performances around Malaysia, supporting 3,332 local artists and performers in the process."
Shahira added that in the environmental impact area, the foundation also supported conservation efforts for the endangered Malayan tiger.
"The Rimau programme employs indigenous communities in Royal Belum to serve as forest patrollers called Menraq. This approach benefits both the Malayan tigers and the local communities.
"Throughout the initiative, Menraq has increased in size from 16 patrollers in Royal Belum, to 46 patrollers today in three landscapes namely Royal Belum, Aman Jaya, and Korbu, which creates a huge area for tigers to roam."
She said as a result of the programme, the number of poacher snares found in Royal Belum forest had gone down by 90 per cent and ignited the possibility of a rising number of Malayan tigers in the wild.
Shahira added that the foundation also jointly launched the Hasanah Social Enterprise Fund 2022 (HSEF2022) with the Ministry of Finance in which RM4.64 million was approved to 32 Social Enterprises, scaling up their capability and capacity.
"The HSEF2022 is the first time Hasanah awards 100 per cent organisational development fund to social enterprises to support their organisational growth and capacity development."