Planting the Future

Although volunteerism and CSR have always been part of the company’s culture, it is only this year that Yayasan PETRONAS, the CSR arm of PETRONAS, was launched. Learn more at: www.yayasanpetronas.com.my

Lita Osman, Acting Chief Executive Officer, explains that now as the central body, Yayasan PETRONAS manages all of the CSR activities for better governance. It’s all about doing better philanthropy, delivering programmes that are designed on our four guiding principles – creating value, sustainable impact, innovative solutions, and effective partnerships or shared success.”

Ensuring that all programmes remain sustainable, Yayasan PETRONAS will continue to make broader impact through three focus areas: Sentuhan Ilmu (Education), Sentuhan Harapan (Community Well-being and Development), and Sentuhan Alam (Environment).

Yayasan PETRONAS believes that social progress is inclusive and everyone can enjoy a better life. Reaching out to underprivileged communities and youth, the Foundation’s Community Well-being and Development focus area creates avenues for these groups to be exposed to social entrepreneurship programmes, promoting a more sustainable livelihood and better health. Flood relief and food aid programmes are also implemented during periods of natural disaster to allow affected communities to resume their daily activities sooner.

Planting Tomorrow, for instance, allows Yayasan PETRONAS to work with Yayasan Sejahtera to help villagers in rural and remote areas of Sabah.

“In Sabah, there are many villages with no water supply. So, we provided water through our gravity-fed system. Villagers no longer need to go to the river, as this would have taken them four or five hours on foot. The time they save can be used to work on the good soil.

“We even teach them about entrepreneurship, financial understanding, design, marketing and branding, so they know how to market their products. We talk to them about new ways of planting and give them the necessary equipment,“explains Lita.