QI Group helps communities in 20 countries affected by Covid-19

KUALA LUMPUR: Unknown to many, Malaysian conglomerate, the QI Group, used its global network to help marginalised communities in 20 Covid-19impacted countries including Malaysia despite its own business affected by the deadly global pandemic.

Volunteers, employees and customers of its subsidiary QNET distributed non-perishable food items, hand sanitisers, gloves, face masks and shields, and other necessities to needy communities in these countries despite challenging circumstances owing to lockdowns.

In Malaysia itself, the group went further in giving 3D printed face shields for healthcare frontliners in Perak and organised a special webinar to provide mental health support to staff and students of QI University (QIU) – its education arm, who were isolated indoors during the Movement Control Order (lockdown) period.

“Despite our drop in business, we reached out to help local communities affected in the Middle East, North Africa, SubSaharan Africa region, and Central Asia,” said QI Group’s Managing Director, Kuna Senathirajah.

Despite the initial drop in business, he told Bernama today that QI was giving back in areas where it does business as customers, distributors, employees as well as vendors and suppliers were all affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in one way or another.

He said QI, through its direct selling subsidiary QNET and social impact initiative, RYTHM Foundation, helped vulnerable and marginalised communities left without access to regular income, food supplies or protective equipment, while all the time practising social distancing.

In Malaysia, the RYTHM Foundation distributed food and grocery bags to daily wage earners, Orang Asli families, migrant labourers and refugees, who were hardest hit by the lockdown. Bernama