For a good cause: Sharifah Norazah (back row, third from left) receiving a mock cheque from Lee (back row, fourth from left).

THE UOA Group donated RM20,000 towards the Jombaca Children Literacy Campaign (Jombaca) to help school-going children with reading and writing difficulties overcome their problems.

It is carried out by ADRF Malaysia, a non-profit organisation which conducts free intensive reading programmes for needy folk. The Jombaca programmes are held in the Lembah Pantai area.

The current month-long campaign supported by UOA Group is held at PPR Pantai Ria in Pantai Dalam. It consists of 60 hours of intensive learning and training that runs for 70 children.

“We hope that our contribution will not only help make reading a beneficial part of the children’s everyday life, but also empowers and prepares them for a brighter future,” said UOA Development Bhd general manager Eugene Lee.

The initiative serves as part of UOA Group’s corporate social responsibility effort to help the community in need in Bangsar South.

UOA Group supports the importance of such engaging initiative as it forms the basis of a caring community, thereby helping to shape a better and more sustainable society.

More than 200 children in Lembah Pantai between the ages of seven and 17 have benefited from the school holiday programme since its introduction in 2013 by ADRF Malaysia in collaboration with i-Sina.

It is an intensive reading programme provider that assists children to read with a passing rate of 80% for children who have undergone the system.

Most of children are from underprivileged families living in high-density urban poor communities.

“Our organisation believes in “Hope=Education”, which then leads to sustainable change.

“That is why our work with underprivileged children always revolves around teaching them academic and living skills as a way to overcome poverty.

“As the saying goes, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish. The desired outcome for all our programmes is that the children learn to be independent while at the same time, build their confidence and self-esteem,” said ADRF Malaysia president Datin Sharifah Norazah Al-Yahya.