100 children from four homes celebrate Raya with LIAM and 16 life insurance companies
Media friends, regulators and business partners join in the festive celebration in the spirit of muhibbah
Kuala Lumpur, 14 June 2019 - The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) together with its 16 member companies brought festive cheer to about 100 children and their caretakers at the LIAM Hari Raya Open House held in Lanai Kijang, Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The children and teenagers aged ranging from 7 to 17 years old were from Rumah Amal Permata Hatiku, Gombak; Rumah Amal Asnaf Al Barakh, Ulu Klang; Rumah Shalom, Puchong; and Rumah Juara, Petaling Jaya. They were joined by LIAM stakeholders, regulators and business partners as well as media friends.
The children and teenagers were all smiles when the LIAM’s team headed by its President, Anusha Thavarajah handed the “Duit Raya” and goodie bags containing teddy bear, toiletries, face towel, stationaries, T-shirt and string bags. The LIAM’s team was also represented by its Chairman of Industry Promotion Committee, Ramzi Toubassy, its Chief Executive Officer, Mark O’Dell and Chief Executive Officers of life insurance companies.
For many years, the festive gathering has become LIAM’s tradition and is part of LIAM’s yearly CSR programme under the Insurans Hayat Cares community service platform. Other than the goodie bags and “Duit Raya” for the children, LIAM also contributes donation in kind to the four homes, consisting of household basic items such as foodstuff, groceries and toiletries.
Speaking at the event, LIAM President, Anusha Thavarajah said that the festive gathering is a way for LIAM to celebrate the joy of Hari Raya with the children and their caretakers to make them feel appreciated during the festival.
“We are privileged with the presence of all of them to celebrate this occasion with LIAM in the spirit of muhibbah. Thank you for making this event so special for us,” she added.
“Our sincere appreciation also goes to the Principals and Caretakers of the 4 Homes namely Rumah Amal Permata Hatiku, Gombak, Rumah Amal Asnaf Al Barakh, Hulu Klang, Rumah Shalom, Puchong and Rumah Juara, Petaling Jaya. Their sacrifices, love and devotion to the care for these children and teenagers will go a long way in nurturing them to become successful, young adults one day,” Anusha added.
According to LIAM CEO, Mark O’Dell, the annual festive celebration with children from the various charitable homes is part of the industry’s gesture in engaging continuously with the community.
“Welcoming them to such a gathering allows them to feel loved and cherished. It is our way of spreading the message of love and care for these children irrespective of gender, race and background,” Mark added.
The guests were treated to a scrumptious buffet spread including Rendang, Ketupat Pulut, Satay, Laksa Johor, Lontong, Raya cookies and Durian Dessert.
The audience also had a great time and enjoyed the dance and singing performances by the children, traditional dance performances and “Joget Lambak” by professional dancers and all-time favourite nostalgic Hari Raya songs by a 3-piece band called The Frontiers.
Over the past 4 decades, LIAM through its Insurans Hayat Cares platform has been proactive in organising various community outreach programmes to bring the industry closer to the people from all walks of life. These include cancer awareness programme, heart disease awareness programme, blood donation drive, hospital visits, donation to children’s homes and old folk’s homes, youth engagement programmes and many more.
As part of the industry’s contribution towards human capital development, the industry also provides internship opportunities for young undergraduates through the LIAM Structured Internship Programme, a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Education Malaysia. The programme is open to undergraduates from the public, private and overseas universities to undergo a 3-month internship experience at 16 life insurance and reinsurance companies in the country.
To date, close to 400 students have been enrolled under this programme which is aimed to attract young talents to join the industry which has wide spectrums of job opportunities and prospects in tandem with the dynamic growth and transformation of the life insurance industry.
It is hoped that through such initiative where we attract young talents to join the industry, would be able to educate more youths on financial planning and the importance of life insurance protection and would help to fulfil the Government’s aspiration of achieving 75% of insured population.
