![Nestlé volunteers, including [back row, sixth from left] Mr. Juan Aranols, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé Malaysia, and Empire Project representatives distributing essential school supplies to children at St. Michael's Secondary School in Sandakan, Sabah, [front row, from left to right] Sarmila Binti Ali, Bryan Bin Janin and Siti Ayu Zulaikha Binti Baharin, who were among the 2,000 children across Malaysia to receive school packs under the Back-2-School initiative](http://www.junipersjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Photo-1.png)
With the start of the new school year around the corner, Nestlé Malaysia recently joined hands with non-governmental organisation, the Empire Project, to reach out to more than 2,000 schoolchildren across the nation as part of its Back-2-School initiative.
Under this programme, Nestlé mobilised its Nestlé Cares volunteers to distribute school packs to students across the Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya, as well as in Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Perlis, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak.
With contributions worth a total of RM650,000, the school packs included essentials such as new school attire, backpacks, stationery sets, drink tumblers and food containers. Also distributed were COVID-19 Care Kits containing face masks, face shields and hand sanitiser, along with goodie bags of high-quality products from various Nestlé brands such as MILO, NESTUM, NESPRAY and Nestlé Breakfast Cereals, to help the children have a nutritious start to their day.
Mr. Juan Aranols, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé Malaysia said, “As part of our ongoing pandemic relief efforts and in line with our commitment to shape a brighter future for all, through this initiative, we aim to help the students have a positive and safe back-to-school experience by equipping them with essential supplies. Especially after sustained periods of staying at home to keep safe amid the pandemic and the recent flood situation in the country, we hope that all the children will have a brighter start to the school year in 2022.
Mr. Ashraff Khan Md. Najib, Founder of Empire Project added, “We are pleased to partner with Nestlé Malaysia once again for this initiative. Beyond helping the children prepare for the new academic term, the Back-To-School programme also helps ease the burden on parents, more so given the tough times following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Overall, Nestlé Malaysia has contributed over RM11 million for community support initiatives in 2021 on top of RM15 million in 2020. The Back-To-School activity is a programme under Nestlé Cares, Nestlé’s global platform which aims to instil a culture of volunteerism amongst employees.
