Families on tight budgets typically struggle to cope with the additional strain involved in buying school supplies for their children in preparation for the new academic year. To ease their burden, ABB in Malaysia reached out to 90 schoolchildren from around Subang Jaya, Selangor, to meet their needs.
"There is a lot of excitement in going back to school. New teachers, new friends and sometimes new school. As such, making the right impression with a brand new uniform, shoes and bag matters to children. It's about fitting in," said Jukka Poutanen, Managing Director, ABB Malaysia Sdn Bhd during a handover function held on Tuesday, 23 January, 2018.
Launched in 2009, the program involves students from mainly three schools namely Sekolah Kebangsaan USJ 2, Sekolah Kebangsaan Seafield 3 and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan USJ 8. The contribution comprises basic necessities such as a complete set of uniform, bag, shoes and stationery items.
"A decent set of uniform and basic school supplies should not be a barrier for every child to feel accepted and to take pride in their abilities. The enthusiasm for learning and building positive character traits in school should not be diminished by something that can be easily fixed," Jukka added.
Around 650 students have benefitted from this program to-date which underscores ABB's commitment to helping children, especially the less fortunate, thrive academically.
