Company treats 57 underprivileged children to river cruise
KUCHING: Children from Nur Murni Welfare and Education Organisation were treated to a river cruise on board the MV Equatorial ( Sarawak River Cruise) as part of a Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration hosted by SR Equatorial Sdn Bhd on Saturday.
A total of 57 children, comprising 25 boys and 32 girls aged between five and 12, were invited to the cruise – courtesy of SR Equatorial Sdn Bhd as part of its corporate social responsibility ( CSR) initiative.
“This is a chance for the children to experience the cruise and see for themselves some of the iconic landmarks in Kuching such as the Darul Hana Bridge, the Astana Negeri and the ‘Floating Mosque’ from a different perspective,” said Minister of Welfare, Community, Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, who officiated at the ceremony.
According to her, the river cruise is a great treat for the children, who come from disadvantaged households.
“Programmes such as this will definitely have a big impact on the children as a way to improve the quality of their lives,” said Fatimah, who is Dalat assemblywoman.
She also praised SR Equatorial, headed by its general manager Yung Chung Nguong, for organising the programme. “This is the beauty of Sarawak. “Despite the different religious and racial backgrounds, everyone can still live in harmony with one another,” said Fatimah.
On that note, she also encouraged adults to instil a sense of respect, tolerance and understanding in young children, who do not see different races and religions as barriers to harmonious living.
A cultural performance was also held during the cruise where the children were also treated to a hi-tea spread.
After the performance, the children also received ‘duit raya’ from Fatimah, who earlier witnessed the presentation of cheque from SR Equatorial to Nur Murni Welfare and Education Organisation headmistress Noni Bakri.