KUALA LUMPUR, 29 JUNE 2020 – While social distancing has become the new norm for most of us, a community whose livelihood depends on the sense of touch is still significantly affected by this unprecedented situation even though Malaysia is now entering the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) phase.
7-Eleven Malaysia recently carried out its latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative in collaboration with its start-up, NGOHub by reaching out to the visually impaired communities that have been adversely affected following movement restriction measures implemented by the government due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
Acknowledging the challenges faced by these less fortunate communities, 7-Eleven Malaysia arranged for the distribution of food items such as rice, cooking oil, canned sardines, bread, instant noodles, coffee, tea and condensed milk to name a few to Persatuan Orang-Orang Cacat Penglihatan Islam Malaysia (PERTIS) and other selected charitable organisations of the blind that are located in the most affected areas to help ease their burden during this challenging period.
7-Eleven Malaysia General Manager of Marketing, Ronan Lee said: “Due to the social distancing rule brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is with no surprise that people with disabilities are the most hard-hit communities as many of them have hardly earned a living. To alleviate their burden, we have decided to provide support and assistance in terms of essential groceries and food supplies to those in urgent need of assistance.”
“At 7-Eleven, we are committed to assisting the community we served in through various activities and campaigns. Driven by our CSR initiatives to contribute to the well-being of society, we believe it is important to get on the ground during this challenging period and ensure that these less fortunate communities are not neglected. We hope that this timely contribution will help to ease the burden of the less fortunate ones,” Lee added.
PERTIS Operations Manager, Zamzuri Ghani said, “Our membership has reached 2,100 people and most of them are facing the repercussions in the new norm due to social distancing requirements. The abrupt loss of income has also made it hard for them to go about their daily lives. Those who earn daily wage such as masseurs, buskers and petty traders are among the hardest hit.”
“They are in dire need of support and we are grateful for the assistance we received from members of the public to help ease their burden in trying times like these,” Zamzuri remarked.
Persatuan Orang-Orang Cacat Penglihatan Islam Malaysia (PERTIS) was established in 1996 and has branches in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Kedah with its main objective to provide people with impairment a chance to learn Braille code in the hopes to open the door to literacy, intellectual freedom and equal opportunity. Those who wish to contribute to PERTIS can contact 03-4021 2631 or visit their website at www.pertis.com.my to learn more.
