KUALA LUMPUR: Homegrown retailer MR DIY is giving out RM300 to University Malaya (UM) undergraduate students who will be returning to campus this October to help them purchase essential supplies to facilitate their return to campus.
Announcing the #DIY4UM aid programme, MR DIY chief executive officer, Adrian Ong said the programme was aimed at helping students make the back-to-campus transition as smooth and worry-free as possible.
"The reopening of campuses is a major milestone for university students. After many months of lockdown, they will finally be able to reconvene on campus to fully benefit from the in-person learning experience and enjoy the academic social interaction with lecturers and fellow students alike. We believe it's important that they are well equipped with protective and learning essentials to keep themselves safe while staying focused on their studies, which is why we are distributing this cash aid to undergraduates at University Malaya," said Ong.
The programme is part of a strategic collaboration between MR DIY and Touch 'n Go. Commenting on the aid programme, Touch 'n Go Group's group chief executive officer, Effendy Shahul Hamid, said the company is pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate for the programme.
"We are extremely pleased that the partnership between our companies has been extended into a benefit for society, in this case, students of University Malaya. We stand ready to support this initiative and we commend MR DIY for stepping up during these challenging times."
The #DIY4UM cash aid distribution programme is being implemented in partnership with Touch 'n Go via its eWallet platform. All active MalaysianUM undergraduates are eligible to receive the aid. All they need to do is to register on Portal Maya UM by Oct 3, 2021 and have a valid Touch 'n Go eWallet account. A sum of RM4.5 million will be credited to the 15,000 UM students' Touch 'n Go eWallets in three equal payments on Nov 1, Nov 30, and Dec 30, 2021.
"This is a welcome and significant initiative by two iconic Malaysian brands. On behalf of our undergraduates, we thank MR DIY for the generous contribution, and Touch 'n Go for making it convenient for students to receive and utilise the funds. We are confident this initiative will be of great help to students as they return to campus," said Universiti Malaya's vice chancellor, Professor Datuk Ir Dr Mohd Hamdi Abd Syukor in a statement.
The #DIY4UM initiative is the latest in a series of collaborations between MR D.I.Y and University Malaysia. The company has joined hands with UM and the Ministry of Education for the past four years to organise the "DIY Made Simple" competition for schools with UM's Community and Sustainability Centre (UMCares) a CSR initiative to cultivate awareness of sustainability among schoolchildren.