PETALING JAYA (Dec 13): The Mah Sing Foundation (MSF) received the ‘Best of the Best’ award and the “JCI Sustainable Development Award Goal 2 – No Hunger” at the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Malaysia Sustainable Development Award 2021.

According to a statement on Monday (Dec 13), MSF was recognised for its Sustainable Livelihoods Project, a project under the MSF Life + flagship programme, for the rural communities in Kota Belud, Sabah. The project aims to improve the standard of living for the underserved communities in rural Malaysia by providing sustainable livelihood opportunities and better health.

Sustainable Livelihoods Project is aimed at 37 households in four villages namely Kampung Bokilong, Kampung Tudan, Kampung Podos and Kampung Kaung Ulu. It is carried out in collaboration with Hopes Malaysia, a Sabah-based non-profit organisation. The project has impacted more than 200 individuals and helped increase their household incomes by an average of 45%.

MSF chairman Datuk Indera Syed Norulzaman Syed Kamarulzaman said the foundation is honoured and humbled to receive the two awards.

“This honour is a testament to our efforts and commitment to improving the villagers' standard of living, achieving economic independence, and promoting long-term development in distant Sabah. The project not only educates the people about sustainable agriculture, but it also boosts their incomes and improves the quality of their food,” he added.

“Understanding the community's needs and aiding them in improving their livelihood will immensely benefit the youngsters, who are our future leaders. This is in accordance with our goal of improving the well-being of underprivileged children through community and health-based programmes that have a long-term impact,” noted MSF.

Throughout the project, the villagers were taught farming techniques, such as identifying high-yielding crops and rearing and selling tilapia and chicken. This has diversified their income source and provided food security for their families, in accordance with the second sustainable development goal, which is “No Hunger”. The villagers benefitted from this project, especially during the pandemic lockdown, as they were able to be self-sufficient and did not need to travel out of town to get fresh food supplies.

MSF and Hopes Malaysia are looking at extending the project to another four surrounding villages in 2022, which is estimated to impact about 50 villagers.