Maybank

Some 200 children from four homes and a school in the Klang Valley were invited as special guests to two Maybank Hari Raya Open House events recently as part of the Group’s commitment to spread festive joy.

At the Maybank Group Corporate Hari Raya Open House for clients and business partners, 100 children from Rumah Perlindungan Nur Hati, Ampang and Rumah Anak Yatim Jalinan Kasih, Cheras were invited as special guests to join in the celebrations.

They were treated to an array of delicious festive food and presented with “duit raya” by Maybank Chairman Datuk Mohaiyani Shamsudin and Group President & CEO Datuk Abdul Farid Alias, who took time off entertaining clients to spend some time with the children.

Following that event, the Maybank Group invited 100 other special children from Rumah Baitun Narawdhah, Rumah Bakti Nur Syaheera and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Sentul to join in the Maybank Group Staff Hari Raya celebrations held at the grounds of Menara Maybank.

Besides tucking in to a range of festive food and receiving “duit raya” from Datuk Mohaiyani, Datuk Abdul Farid and Group Chief Human Capital Officer Nora Manaf, the students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Sentul also entertained Maybank employees with special renditions of songs and an angklung orchestra performance by children with autism and Down Syndrome.

“These two events emphasise our philosophy of celebrating diversity and promoting inclusiveness. Festive occasions such as Hari Raya are even more meaningful when shared with those who may be left out of such celebrations due to personal circumstances,” said Nora.

“As an organisation with a mission of humanising financial services, we feel it is only appropriate that we use such occasions not only to promote unity and understanding amongst all races, but also embrace the special people within our communities so that together we can make it even more joyful,” she explained. “At the end of the day, we want everyone to realise that inclusivity is a strength. Differences should not divide us but instead make us even more cohesive as a nation.”

Siti Solehah bt Saiful Bahari from Rumah Baitun Nurrawdha, was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic celebrations at Menara Maybank. “This is my first time here in Maybank and I’m happy to see my little brothers and sisters enjoying the food so much. Most importantly, we have the opportunity to make new friends in this event.”

Dressed in their colourful traditional attire, the children mingled with Maybank staff and enjoyed local delicacies from different states of Malaysia as well as an array of kuih, local fruits, roast lamb and sizzling satay. The ‘Kampung’-themed celebration was energetic, colourful and filled with fun for everyone who attended it.

The angklung orchestra in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Sentul is one of the projects under the Maybank employee volunteerism programme ‘Cahaya Kasih’. Under this programme, employees from the Group Corporate & Legal Services have been sponsoring and supporting the training of this special orchestra since 2016.