Malakoff Corporation Berhad (Malakoff) in collaboration with the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), unveiled the “Empower for Life” Initiative today to help the urban underprivileged, especially those that are single parents.

Under this programme, which is a part of Malakoff’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme – the Malakoff Community Partnerships, the Company contributed RM66,500 to WAO to conduct essential life skills classes, cover medical expenses for residents in its Refuge Centre and publish a booklet to guide single parents.

At the launch Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali, the Chairman of Malakoff said, “Malakoff has always been committed to make Corporate Social Responsibility a key part of our corporate culture. Over the years, we have been involved in many activities for the underprivileged and the community where we have our operations.”

“For the Empower for Life Initiative, Malakoff has decided to work with WAO as we believe that they have the relevant expertise, on-the-ground experience and understanding of the issues faced by the target group. We commend WAO for taking on the challenge to work with single parents as they are the ones most affected by issues related to urbanisation,” he added.

For the Empower for Life Initiative, WAO has selected and employed a full-time social worker who organises english and computer classes to train the single parents as part of efforts to help become self-reliant and financially independent. Additionally, cooking and beading classes are also being conducted to impart basic living skills besides other recreational activities to help them rebuild their self esteem and improve their emotional well-being.

Over and above this, under this Initiative, WAO has also developed a handbook for single parents to equip single parents with relevant medical and legal information. The booklet is being published in both English and Bahasa Malaysia for the target audience.

Ivy Josiah, the Executive Director of the WAO, said “The launch of the Empower for Life is a truly momentous one as it will help to highlight the importance of reaching out to women in crisis who are pregnant and abandoned.”

“Malakoff has taken the right step forward in this direction. It is our hope that more companies as well as individuals will be inspired by Malakoff’s leadership role and come forward to contribute in helping alleviate social problems,” she added.

Also present at the launch was Diyana Yahaya, the social worker hired specifically for the Empower for Life women's programmes at the WAO Refuge and the writer of the booklet for single pregnant women. Diyana explained that she was passionate about her calling as a social worker given her strong inclination towards social justice.

“It is never easy to be a social worker. Every day we are faced with women in crisis who are battling so many challenges. While my work can be very exhausting, I am inspired these courageous women who try to find solutions. It’s also satisfying to know that we are helping people to improve their lives and make them self-reliant,” said the enthusiastic 25-year old graduate from Universiti Teknologi MARA.

WAO accepts monetary contributions to help meet the operational costs of their Refuge Shelter and the Child Care Centre. Those who wish to contribute may contact Annie Varghese, P.O. Box 493, Jalan Sultan, 46760 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia or visit www.wao.org.my for further details.