BY N. TRISHA

Rresident and CEO Eco World Group Development Berhad Datuk Chang Khim Wah (right), at The opening of Eco World foundation volunteers club in Penang Ecoworld Gallery at the Macalister Road.

FOLLOWING its launch in September last year, Eco World Foundation has donated tables and chairs to eight schools in the Klang Valley.

During the floods in the east coast of Malaysia, it spearheaded a relief mission to provide aid to victims.

The Foundation mobilised 27 volunteers to clean up schools and hand out food.

The volunteers are members of the Eco World Volunteers Club, which was launched in May in the Klang Valley and in June in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor.

Yesterday, the staff of Eco World Penang signed up as volunteers for the newly launched club here. The club is only open to staff of Eco World.

Foundation trustee Philip Matthews said the objective of the club was to promote and encourage participation of Eco World’s employees in charitable work through the activities of Eco World Foundation.

He said the foundation was set up to serve as a platform for Eco World to fulfil its corporate social responsibility programmes.

“The foundation aims to undertake humanitarian projects with the mission of addressing social-shortcomings such as in areas of education and literacy.

“One of the main programmes by the foundation — the Eco World Student Aid Programme (SAP), sees an allocation of RM5mil per year to meet basic educational requirements for needy students in the country,” Matthews said.

He added that volunteers were needed to check in on the children and “this is where our staff come into the picture”.

“We do not expect anything in return from these children, we just want them to be given a fair opportunity to succeed in life,” he said.

Eco World Development Group Bhd executive director Datuk Voon Tin Yow, who was also present at the launch of the club at Eco World Gallery in Macalister Road, said the foundation does not merely fund different causes, but also follows through to make a real difference.

The foundation has since adopted over 3,000 students in the country and offers assistance to deserving primary school pupils with outstanding results to further their studies in secondary and tertiary levels.