Soroptimist International Club of Damansara launches Cycling for Cycles 2016

28 June 2016

Soroptimist International Club of Damansara launches Cycling for Cycles 2016

Kuala Lumpur, 28 June 2016 – Soroptimist International Club of Damansara (SI Damansara) launched today Cycling for Cycles 2016 campaign which aims to raise awareness about malaria and funds to purchase bicycles for Village Malaria Workers in Cambodia.

Village Malaria Workers (VMW) walk 5 – 10 km daily in the heat and rain to administer anti-malarial drugs, perform blood tests to diagnose malaria and advise villagers to use mosquito nets. VMWs play a vital role in reducing infection and deaths from malaria.

Malaria is a deadly disease caused by parasites transmitted through mosquito bites. Drug resistant malaria is a serious problem in Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Poor education and lack of access to timely healthcare has led to deaths that could have been avoided.

The Cycling for Cycles Campaign is a joint-club project with our sister Soroptimist Clubs in Singapore, Melbourne and Cambodia. Together, we aim to raise funds to purchase 179 bicycles costing in total USD18,000.

Cycling for Cycles 2016 has as its key partners, Maybank Foundation and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur. The Cycling for Cycles ride will be 5km starting at Dataran DBKL, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur along the car-free morning route on 17 July 2016.

Maybank Foundation was set up in 2010 to implement Maybank’s corporate sustainability programmes in Malaysia and throughout the region where it operates. It aims to assist communities and support them through long-term partnerships, volunteer efforts and targeted social investments. The Foundation’s approach goes beyond charitable giving, and encompasses sustainable programmes with long-lasting impact.  

The Foundation supports initiatives in six focus areas: Education, Community Empowerment, Healthy Living, Environmental Diversity; Arts and Culture and Disaster Relief. It identifies programmes that have the most tangible impact with long-term results. Through strategic partnerships with stakeholders and NGOs, the Foundation strives to enhance quality of life for all - especially the less fortunate - irrespective of race, gender, or creed.

Event and registration details are as below:

  

Venue : Dataran DBKL, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur

Date : 17 July 2016 (Sunday)

Registration : from 6.30 am

Flag Off : 7.00 am

Participation fee is RM50 per person and each participant will be entitled to a specially designed Cycling for Cycles t-shirt and a goody bag.

Participation forms can be downloaded from our donation drive website -

www.simplygiving.com/event/CyclingForCycles or email to

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or

register online - http://goo.gl/forms/1fK2UeczAVk0rDeq1

Closing date for registration is 10 July 2016 and T-Shirt and goody bags can be picked up from 14 – 15 July 2016 from 9am – 5pm @ SID Vocational Resource Centre, 9-3, Jalan SS 23/11, Taman SEA, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (Tel: 019-3152287).

CEO of Maybank Foundation, Shahril Azuar Jimin said, “We are collaborating with SI on this programme as part of our ongoing efforts to support community programmes that positively impact the wider community. VWM has a noble objective to provide primary health services directly to community members and connect with mobile populations in Cambodia. Their work forms an important part of malaria control efforts among the most vulnerable and high risk groups. These bicycles will increase the health workers’ abilities to significantly broaden community outreach and impact.”

“SI Damansara’s target is to raise funds to purchase 50 bicycles, each costing RM500. For those who do not want to cycle but wish to donate to purchase bicycles, log on to our donation drive website - www.simplygiving.com/event/CyclingForCycles and any amount donated is highly appreciated” said Joanne Yeoh, President of SI Damansara.

____________________________________________________________

About Soroptimist International

Soroptimist International Club of Damansara is part of Soroptimist International, a worldwide service organisation for women. It is a global voice for women working through Awareness, Advocacy and Action and committed to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide. Soroptimist International Club of Damansara has been established in the country for the past 23 years. Its members come from various educational, social and cultural backgrounds but share the same passion to educate and improve the lives of women and girls through education, empowerment or enabling opportunities.

About Maybank Foundation

Maybank Foundation has been the strategic driver and main implementer of the Group’s community programmes since it was inaugurated in 2010, in conjunction with the Group’s 50th anniversary. The Foundation’s mandate is to create positive, long-term impact in communities in the markets where Maybank operates. It strives to identify programmes that will have the most tangible and sustainable results.