Students of Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang Pendas in Gelang Patah, Johor, have been starting their school days with a nutritious breakfast, thanks to the funds raised from KFC’s Add Hope campaign.
During KFC’s recent visit, the school representative highlighted that since the breakfast programme began earlier this year, attendance among the school children, largely made up of underprivileged orang asli students, had increased by 90% compared to the same period the year before.
In addition to the daily breakfast, each month the students are also treated to a KFC meal. “KFC is one of the orang asli students’ favourite things to eat. They look forward to the KFC meals that are provided every month and it has built their spirits in attending school every day,” said Johari Shuhadak, Headmaster, Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang Pendas.
Fatimah Zamani, a sixth grader at the school, was very happy to have the opportunity to enjoy the KFC meals, an otherwise unaffordable treat for her family.
This breakfast programme is a collaborative effort between KFC and non-profit organization Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC), recipients of the donations from the KFC Add Hope campaign.
“The students here have been able to start their day with a nutritious breakfast, as well as be treated to monthly KFC meals in large due to the unending and fervent support from KFC customers who have purchased the Add Hope meals throughout the years. KFC would like to thank each and every one of our customers for this. This breakfast programme is a perfect example of how their contributions are making a difference to so many lives’, said Sharifah Musainah, General Manager, QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd.
During the visit, KFC also organized a talk on nutrition to educate the students on the topic and the importance of healthy eating.
“I love seeing how the breakfast programme is helping these children get the right start to their day and I am sure it is making a difference to their overall health too. I am also hopeful that the talk will make them more aware of the importance of nutrition in their daily lives. Programmes such as this make me want to work harder to support the Add Hope campaign so we can help more people”, said Scha Alyahya, Add Hope’s spokesperson
The event also included a tree planting ceremony whereby Scha Alyahya, Sharifah Musainah Syed Alwi as well as YBhg. Dato’ Sayed A. Rahman Sayed Mohd, MRC Secretary General planted two fruit trees as a symbol of new growth.
The day was made more cheerful as the students were treated to KFC meals, fun games with a clown, entertainment and goodie bags.
Similar to previous years, Add Hope has raised its funds through the special ‘Add Hope Meal’ promotion at KFC outlets, where meals under this promotion are charged an extra RM0.50 which goes directly into the fund. Donation boxes are also placed at all KFC outlets throughout the campaign period for customers who prefer to donate through this manner.
To date the campaign has raised more than RM17 million locally, and more than USD$600 million globally.
This year’s Add Hope campaign is in its second month and information is available on Add Hope Malaysia’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/AddHopeMalaysia.