The spirit to serve
Business council supports programme to ease hunger in Asia
AFTER a year of partnership, the Marriott Malaysia Business Council ended the year by donating Rm 100, 000 to the world food programme (WFP) and supporting its school-feeding activities in Asia.
WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. In Asia alone, WFP assists over 40 million hungry people in 14 countries.
In Malaysia, it is responsible for a UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) which deploys assets out of Subang to support humanitarian and emergency response needs in the Asia-pacific region, and beyond.
WFP is a United Nations agency, funded entirely by voluntary donations and vital partnerships like the Marriott’s ‘Spirit to Serve the Hungry’ campaign.
Together, WFP and the Malaysia Business Council fight for the elimination of child hunger worldwide, particularly by providing children with meals in schools.
With the support of the Marriott and Renaissance Malaysia Business Council and the guests of the various Marriott properties in Malaysia, morethan125,648 school meals will be provided in the neediest Southeast Asian countries where WFP works.
A launch was held in December 2010 at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel to mark the start of the ‘Spirit to Serve the Hungry in Asia’ campaign and the recent event was the culmination of a year’s efforts of increasing awareness of the needs of schoolchildren in Asia.
With every ringgit the Malaysia Business Council collects on behalf of WFP, nutritious school meals are provided by WFP, promoting health, education and a lasting investment in the future of Asia’s children.
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel general manager and Malaysia Business Council chairman Robert Frager said: “The generosity of our guests in contributing towards this campaign has enabled all of us to be here and invest in the future of our children by breaking the cycle of poverty and helping WFP to develop the physical and intellectual opportunities for these children of Asia.”
“WFP and the children we support are grateful to the Marriott and Renaissance Malaysia Business Council and their guests,” said WFP global private partnerships deputy director and head Monica Marshall.
“For the children we assist across Asia, the food they receive at school is often the only proper meal they will eat all day. It nourishes their minds and their bodies and allows children to dream of a brighter future.
“If everyone does their share and donates to the ‘Spirit to Serve the Hungry’ Campaign, we can make a huge difference in helping Asia attain its full development potential,” she added.