Temporary Shelters for 87 Families Affected by Floods in Kelantan Completed

Kuala Krai, 26 June 2015 – The watermarks on the buildings in Kuala Krai say it all – a grim reminder of the catastrophic floods last December which wreaked havoc in Kelantan.

Seven months later, many families in Kuala Krai are still slowly trying to piece their lives together and struggling to get back on their feet. While some sense of normalcy has returned to the area, the sight of tents amidst the rubble of homes still dot the landscape.

Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), the philanthropic arm of Sime Darby Berhad channelled RM1.8 million for post-flood relief assistance in Kelantan in collaboration with its long-term partner MERCY Malaysia. Out of this, RM1.3 million was allocated for the construction of 87 temporary shelters for families who lost their homes in the worst affected areas of Kuala Krai.

The shelters were finally completed in May and 87 families whose homes were destroyed from Kampung Tualang, Kampung Bekok and Kampung Jalan Gael no longer live in makeshift tents.

One of the last recipients of the temporary shelter is a family of three living in a secluded area in the remote area of Kg Bantuan, which is only accessible by a 40-minute boat ride from the Kuala Krai jetty. When met by a team from YSD recently, Che Min, 73, shared his heart wrenching story of losing his home and banana plantation which was his only source of income.

“I was out in Kota Bahru to renew my wife’s visa when the river burst its banks and flood water washed away our home. When we returned home, we were shocked to see everything we owned destroyed. Even the house we lived in had been swept away. We had to seek shelter at the community hall for over a month.”

“My family and I had nowhere else to go. We lost everything and I could not ask any of my other relatives for help as they were also badly affected. I decided to return home and rebuilt our house from the remnants of whatever was left. What you see here, is what we have been living in for the past four months while waiting for the temporary shelter to be completed,” said Che Min, pointing to the odd-sized pieces of wood which he had put together as a temporary abode for his family while waiting for the YSD-funded temporary shelter to be built.

“What makes it even harder is that my sole means of income was swept away by the floods. I make about RM10 daily selling bananas and now I do not have any other crops to sell. My only hope left is to wait for any form of assistance from the government,” he added.

Che Min, who lives with his wife and daughter expressed gratitude for the new temporary shelter funded by YSD and MERCY Malaysia. For him and his family, this new “home” is much safer and comfortable for the family to weather the days ahead.

Meanwhile in Manek Urai, YSD, in partnership with RONIN (Rebuilding and Organising Neighbourhoods in Need) is collaborating with Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya Kelantan (YOKUK) on a food programme in Manek Urai to address acute malnutrition among schoolchildren due to limited access to home cooked meals after the floods.

YSD’s contribution of RM110,000 for “Program Makanan Kesihatan (ProMAK)” comprises of nutritional lunch boxes for 380 schoolchildren of SK Manek Urai for seven months since April this year. The balanced meal consisting carbohydrates (rice or noodles), protein (chicken, fish or eggs) and vitamins (vegetables or fruits) and a drink has been approved by the Ministry of Health.

During the floods in December 2014, SK Manek Urai was one of the evacuation centres in Kuala Krai, but eventually, the building was also inundated up to the third floor and hence faced disruption of water supply while the canteen was severely damaged.

YSD CEO, Puan Hajjah Yatela Zainal Abidin who made a post-flood relief visit recently expressed joy that the foundation’s small contributions had made a tremendous impact in the lives of the affected residents.

“It gives me great pleasure to see the temporary shelters we have invested in give so much hope and comfort to the victims. In fact, a few of the temporary shelters visited were given “face-lifts” by the families to make the shelters more homely for them to live comfortably for as long as they have to.”

“We also hope that the food programme will provide the children with basic nutritional needs and reduce the risk of malnutrition. Now, their parents do not have to worry about putting food on the table for their children at least for one meal and they can focus their attention on other matters including their livelihood,” she added.

Besides these two initiatives, 300 schoolchildren from Kuala Krai received ‘Back to School Assistance’ from YSD including school uniforms, shoes, schoolbags and other essential school supplies. YSD also sponsored 1,000 hygiene kits, medicine and funded fuel costs as well as logistics expenses to mobilise MERCY Malaysia’s medical teams in the three worst affected states, namely Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu.

YSD also contributed RM500,000 to provide 800 families from flood affected villages surrounding Sime Darby estates in Pahang with food items and hygiene kits, electricity generator sets, cleaning equipment and kits for post-flood relief efforts and logistics expenses for distribution of the relief items.

Community and Health, one of the pillars of Yayasan Sime Darby’s philanthropy supports community-based programmes and sustainable initiatives intended to promote the wellbeing and health of disadvantaged people and enhance the welfare of neglected children and senior citizens, vulnerable women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

For more information on Yayasan Sime Darby, please visit: www.yayasansimedarby.com

 For further information, please contact:

Regina William 
External Communications
Group Communications & Corporate Affairs
Sime Darby Berhad
Tel: +(603) 2711 3895 
Mobile: +(6019) 299 0470
Email: regina.william@simedarby.com 

About Yayasan Sime Darby

Yayasan Sime Darby, or Sime Darby Foundation, was established in 1982 and is the primary driver of Sime Darby Berhad’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

The objectives of Yayasan Sime Darby are supported by its five pillars, namely: education; environment, community & health; youth & sports and arts & culture. While led by independent members of a Governing Council and managed by a dedicated team, Yayasan Sime Darby works closely with the Sime Darby Group, in areas of mutual interest.

Since its inception, Yayasan Sime Darby has awarded scholarships worth RM217 million to 2,519 students both in and outside Malaysia. It is supporting long term research projects of significant scientific value like the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) project which is the world’s largest ecological project, a joint effort with the Royal Society (The UK and Commonwealth Academy of Science). Yayasan Sime Darby is also actively involved in the development and improvements of sports in Malaysia namely track cycling, lawn bowling, cricket, tennis and golf. Under its community & health pillar, Yayasan Sime Darby supports initiatives to promote the well-being of disadvantaged people irrespective of race, culture, religion, creed or gender and works with established organisations to promote the development of arts and culture.