Lotus & Unilever raised RM100,000 for underprivileged students

PETALING JAYA, 26 November 2022: In conjunction with World Children’s Day 2022, themed “Inclusion, for every child,” Lotus’s Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Lotus’s Malaysia) together with its long-time partner Unilever Malaysia continues to deliver their compassion guided by the spirit of #KitakanJiran, raising a total of RM 100,000 for five of the retailer’s adopted schools.

This fund is raised through the Unilever Back to School: Donate to Help Programme with Lotus’s Malaysia, where for every purchase of RM35 of any Unilever products at all 64 Lotus’s outlets, and RM1 is channelled to the fund. The funds raised aims to aid a total of 1,000 less fortunate students from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Pandan, Johor, SK Kuala Selangor, Selangor, SK Pengkalan Baharu, Perak, SK Taman Bunga Raya 2, Rawang, and SK Sungai Puyu, Pulau Pinang with key essential Unilever goods for the new school season.

The symbolic handing-over gestures were presented by Benjamin Ang, National Sales Manager – Hypermarket & Supermarket for Unilever Malaysia, together with Hanim Hamdan, Head of Communications and CSR of Lotus’s Malaysia, and Norazlina Masom, General Manager of PINTAR Foundation. Also present at the event were 25 students and their guardians from Lotus’s Ara Damansara adopted school, SK Tropicana.

“We have collaborated with both Unilever and PINTAR separately in the past with great results. Therefore, we believe that by tapping into each of our strengths collectively, we would be able to produce a greater impact for the children who need it the most,” said Hanim, Head of Communications and CSR, Lotus’s Malaysia.

“It is our hope that this programme would make a difference in the students’ lives and ease the burden of their parents. We believe that education is very important in shaping the younger generations’ future and with this programme, we wish to see an increase in their motivation to strive and excel in their studies," said Benjamin, National Sales Manager – Hypermarket & Supermarket, Unilever Malaysia.

The event kicked off with a Lady’s Choice Sandwich Workshop aimed at teaching students how to make healthy and nutritious sandwiches, followed by Lotus’s Pengguna Bijak programme designed to introduce the students to various products and how to become wise consumers. Students were taken to Lotus’s Ara Damansara store to learn about price comparison and product quality. And they were also taught the importance of differentiating between needs and wants.

Recently, 50 teachers from Lotus’s 63 adopted schools graduated from its Teachers Leadership Programme. The seven-month programme consists of training, workshops, and professional sharing sessions to empower the role of an effective educator/ leader and upskill their professional development, which will enable the teachers to create the right learning environment for their students and encourage a growth mindset amongst their peers and students.

Last October, the retailer teamed up with VSTECS Berhad to refurbish SK Seksyen 17, Shah Alam’s computer laboratory, and donated 50 laptops for the usage of its students and teachers to expose students to modern classrooms and improve their digital literacy.

Any future collaborations with other parties are welcome to benefit more people and for consumers to not only see the retailer as the preferred shopping destination that provides value, quality, and affordable goods but also as a caring neighbour that supports the community around them.