RM 438,000 Raised for Underprivileged Children

The Budimas Charitable Foundation hosted the 3rd “Night of a Thousand Blessings”, a fundraising dinner in aid of the underprivileged and orphaned children of Malaysia on the 19th of April 2018 that raised a total of RM 438,000. The fundraiser took place at the grand ballroom of The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur which saw over 500 guests from different backgrounds that purchased dinner tables for the night, priced at RM 8,000, RM 10,000 and RM 15,000. 
Y.M. Tunku Dato’ Yaacob Khyra, Chairman of The Budimas Charitable Foundation officiated the night with a powerful and persuasive speech on the importance of children’s welfare in our country. The foundation also celebrated their 20th anniversary since its inception in 1998, that night.
Y.M. Tunku Dato' Yaacob Khyra, Chairman of The Budimas Charitable Foundation

Funds raised from the benefit dinner were via sales of dinner tables, corporate and public donations, sponsorships as well as auctioning of paintings by the children of Pusat Jagaan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Budimas Orion (Budimas Orion Home) and will go to the expansion of Budimas Food Charity Fund which is one of the three core programmes of the foundation. Under this programme, the foundation serves breakfast to children from poor families, every school-morning at their respective schools. Currently there are over 6,200 children from over 100 schools across Malaysia that is benefitting from this programme.
“We believe, that hungry children are poorly equipped to absorb the knowledge that schools are trying to impart on them. Children with full bellies have more energy and are able to better focus on their studies. I am 100% certain, that the children under our Food Programme are happy, and will ultimately deliver better long-term scholastic result,” said Y.M. Tunku Dato’ Yaacob Khyra, Chairman of The Budimas Charitable Foundation.
The highlights of the night were the opening act by the children of Pusat Jagaan Siddhartan (Siddhartan Care Centre) where they performed a traditional Bharatanatyam performance. Siddhartan Care Centre is one of the charitable homes in Petaling Jaya that Budimas is financially aiding on a monthly basis to reduce their financial burden. The night also saw a unique native performance by the children of Kampung Orang Asli Tanjung Sepat, Hulu Langat. These children have benefited from another core programme under the foundation which is Budimas Education Charity Fund where Budimas build children’s libraries in Orang Asli villages to cultivate the interest in education among the children. Yap Yi Zhe, a child from Child Aid Asia, a community charity organization that was formed under the belief that children with artistic potential and a strong interest should not be deprived of the opportunity to develop their talents because they are economically disadvantaged, also performed his own composition songs on an Electone.

The night also saw 20 Budimas Orion (Pusat Jagaan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Budimas Orion) children’s paintings being auction where a total of RM 40,000 was generated via this live auction. These paintings were painted by a total of 15 children from the home where they attended a painting course with Anna Karina Jardin who is a Filipina entrepreneur, social activist and artist championing capacity building for children and youth as well as inter-cultural dialogues through art. The 3-day painting course took place from the 20th till the 23rd of December 2017 during the year end school holidays as part of Budimas Orion’s children’s activity. The children were inspired to paint their interoperation of life with nature and through this painting course talents were discovered amongst the children.
Trustees & Principal Officer of the Budimas Charitable Foundation. On the Right: Anne Rajasaikaran, Principal Officer of The Budimas Charitable Foundation

“We are very thankful and grateful to everyone that is present here tonight, to our sponsors and donors, corporate organisations that we have collaborated with and to the members of the media who have shown their support towards the foundation’s efforts in many different ways. I strongly believe that together we can make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children in our very own country and give them a hope for a bright future,” said Anne Rajasaikaran, Principal Officer of The Budimas Charitable Foundation.

Budimas Food Charity Fund is currently being carried out in 7 states in Malaysia and they are Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka feeding over 6,200 children breakfast every school-morning. This year, the programme will be expanding to two more states which are Perlis and Johor targeting extra 800 children by end of 2018 before expanding to the east Malaysia by next year.

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