QI Employees Drive Social Responsibility to Raise Funds for Taarana

  The culture of altruism is present in everything that the QI Group does, even its daily tea-time. Led by the staff social responsibility (SSR) committee, the group’s employees have raised considerable funds through the sale of tea, coffee and tea-time snacks to continue its tradition of supporting the Taarana school for special needs children in Malaysia. Taarana, a flagship initiative under RYTHM Foundation, the social impact arm of the QI Group, aims to create inclusive classrooms that provide equal and equitable education for children with special needs and of all abilities in accordance with the fourth sustainable development goal under the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The school is funded entirely by the foundation, with the fees subsidised for children from low-income families who cannot afford the hefty price tag of special education. Also Read: QI Staff Raise Funds Through Employee Initiatives For Taarana The SSR committee, with the support of QI Group employees, managed to raise a total of RM15,000 through fundraising activities carried out throughout the year including the sale of fabric masks and mask diffusers, tea-time snacks and drinks for employees in the QI Tower, as well as events for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and more. Committee pioneer, Kalyani Pushpangathan from the Corporate Services and Administration department, handed over the cheque to the RYTHM Foundation Chairperson, Datin Sri Umayal Eswaran, in a virtual event via Zoom on the 1^st of December 2021, with committee members and several group directors in attendance.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the SSR committee members, QI staff, tea ladies and also the drivers who have all contributed funds or assisted in the preparation and sale of the tea-time snacks and other items. The amount raised might be smaller than last year’s but we’re still very proud to be handing over this cheque to support Taarana,” said Kalyani.

Also Read: The Group that Keeps on Giving As a group with a corporate philosophy to ‘Raise Yourself to Help Mankind’ (RYTHM), philanthropy has been ingrained into the culture of the QI Group since its inception, with employees encouraged to get involved in their local communities and support important causes.

Speaking during the virtual event, Raymond Sagaram, Senior Human Resources Manager said, “This is one of the defining characteristics of the QI Group and it further demonstrates the spirit of volunteerism & community-mindedness of our employees. This has always been the hallmark of the QI Group and today’s occasion further strengthens that commitment to the future of the group. The skillset we are building into our employees are all foundations of a community where success is defined by character, competence and the concept of social consciousness.”

Throughout the year, QI staff around the world have contributed their time and resources towards various efforts, including COVID relief and disaster relief initiatives as well as eco clean-up events and more, with the support of RYTHM Foundation. Also Read: QI Hong Kong Does Its Part For The Environment In Coastal Clean-Up SSR Programme

“Giving back to the community and reaching out to the disadvantaged are some of the principles the company was built upon by its founders. The foundation spearheads this notion as we do a lot of good work globally to meet the needs of disadvantaged communities. We told ourselves that social distancing should not stand in the way of reaching out to those in need because help can be offered in many other ways. Where there is a will, there is a way,” said the Head of RYTHM Foundation, Santhi Periasamy.

Amidst the prolonged lockdown in Malaysia this year which shut down offices around the country for months, the SSR committee saw an outpouring of support from the employees for the initiatives organised. From providing essential items to struggling Orang Asli and B40 families to food distribution for the frontliners amidst the pandemic, QI Group staff stepped up to contribute time and resources as part of their social consciousness. Also Read: QI Employees Band Together To Give Back To Frontliners & Local Communities Receiving the cheque from the SSR committee on behalf of Taarana, RYTHM Foundation, Chairperson Datin Sri Umayal Eswaran expressed her gratitude and said, “I want more people to step up. In Malaysia, we have a team comprising of the foundation and the SSR committee who are ever willing to work with all the employees. We have the support system, so taking a leadership role in social responsibility is crucial. It complements your professional role, allowing you to do better and have compassion for our employees, co-workers and communities. It is entirely up to us to decide whether we want to make a difference and leave a legacy of positively impacting the lives of others.”