Yayasan 1MDB helps out students in remote areas of Sarawak

Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak on 22 July 2010 presented 1MDB financial aid to 100 underprivileged schoolchildren in Long Banga and Bekenu in Sarawak. This is the second batch of children to benefit from a 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) CSR programme targeting students from primary and secondary schools in the remote areas of Sarawak. The primary school pupils received RM450 each whereas each secondary school student received RM600.  The financial aid is part of the education-based corporate social responsibility programme initiated by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) targeting schoolchildren from poor backgrounds in remote areas who are at a disadvantage when seeking education aid. 

In addition, Yayasan 1MDB had also launched a programme to build or repair 13 rumah araus for primary schools in the interior of Sarawak. Rumah arau is a halfway house located nearby a school where pre-schoolers who live too far for a daily commute can seek temporary shelter during the school week. Pre-schoolers are not eligible to stay at the school hostel as they are considered too young to be independent. Most rumah araus in existence are in dilapidated condition and does not make a good shelter for the young children and their mothers, who accompany them at the house throughout the school week.

The Prime Minister recently launched the pilot project to repair the rumah arau for Sekolah Kebangsaan Nanga Encheremin, Kapit and Sekolah Kebangsaan Lusong Laku, Belaga in February 2010.  Each rumah arau costs RM 100,000. In July, 1MDB made another contribution to construct the next two more rumah araus  -- for Sekolah Kebangsaan Tegageng in Subis, and Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Kebulu in Sebauh.