The majority of Malaysian families eagerly anticipate the start of the new school year, racing to equip their children with all new school necessities to motivate the kids to excel in their primary education. However, for urban poor families, the new school year is laden with major expenses.
While the percentage of urban poor is relatively low at 3.8%[1], Malaysia has one of the fastest urbanisation rates in South-East Asia with 77.9% of the country’s 32.4 million population living in urban areas[2] which translates to almost 960,000 urban dwellers living in poverty. Most of the urban poor are settled in Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) low-cost flats, which are densely populated with limited public amenities that are often associated with drug and alcohol abuse, crime and petty theft as well as domestic violence and abuse, making the residents vulnerable[3].
Those with lower educational attainment tend to be from households with lower incomes causing the income gap to widen[4]. Encouraging and improving education opportunities is key to reduce income inequality.
Understanding the plight of these urban poor families and recognising the importance of education for all, the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP (Brighter Future with TOP) charity fund-raising campaign is collaborating with MYDIN to equip a total of 200 Primary One students from hardcore poor families living in PPR communities in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang, with back-to-school essentials for the 2023/2024 school year.
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| Children from single mother-headed families were the recipients of the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP Campaign in 2021/2022. Mother and children from Johor |
A portion of sales from selected TOP detergent products across MYDIN stores from December 15, 2022 to January 15, 2023 will be channelled to equipping these 200 Primary One school students.
The back-to-school essentials include brand new school uniform, school shoes, socks, stationery set, pencil case, and colour pencils for each child. TOP will deliver the personalised back-to-school packs to the families ahead of the new school term giving parents and children ease-of-mind that they be on a level playing field with other classmates.
Since its inception in 2015, the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP campaign has benefited 3,206 children from 97 communities nationwide with back-to-school essentials, while contributing TOP detergent products to their families and caregivers.
TOP recently introduced The TOP Colour Signature line of Super Colour premium powder detergent and Colour Protect premium liquid detergent with breakthrough 5D Colour ProTech Laundry Technology that allows consumers to wash all laundry together[5] with the confidence that colours won’t bleed, colourful clothes remain vibrant, and dark clothes stay dark. It prevents fabric from early aging, keeping them newer for longer helping prolong the life of garments thus promoting more sustainable living. Each participating family in the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP program will receive a 2.1kg pack of TOP Super Colour powder detergent from this line, and a reusable detergent dispenser.
All TOP detergents including the Colour Signature line are powered by Advanced Micro-Clean Tech with Lion Japan’s Anti-Microbial Tech that deploys next generation detergent technology that effectively removes 99.9% of harmful viruses including (COVID-19 virus, Influenza A & Coxsackie), and bacteria[6]. This specially curated multi-tech formulation includes Anti-Malodour, Anti-Mite Dust and Anti-Sebum functionalities, enhanced with Bolder Scent Technology, a distinctive fragrance with proven efficacy against malodour control while it enhances mood.
TOP partnered with Kloth Cares and INTI to introduce the Colour Signature detergent line, and in the process collected more than 700 kilograms of good quality pre-loved clothing kindly donated by the Malaysian public. The pre-loved clothing will be cleaned and made available to participating families interested in upcycling projects.
“Rising cost of living is a global issue, and the urban poor are most at risk. Back-to-school preparations for even one child can disrupt the tight budgets of urban poor families, yet education is vital for these kids to break the cycle of poverty. Having similar back-to-school items as other students can help to motivate them and put them in the right headspace to excel. This is why the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP campaign resonates with and is supported by Malaysians who are invested in helping other Malaysians achieve their full potential. Our thanks to MYDIN for their cooperation on this campaign,” says Ms Carmen Foo, Senior General Manager of Southern Lion Sdn Bhd.
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| Orang Asli students from SK Pos Dipang, Perak of the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP in 2021 |
To support the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP campaign in providing 200 urban poor Primary One students with back-to-school essentials, the public can purchase TOP detergent products from any participating MYDIN store nationwide from 15 December 2022 to 15 January 2023. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/TOPdetergentMY.
“We are committed to supporting 200 children through this campaign but we hope to achieve a higher collection so that we can help even more kids. Join TOP to make a difference to urban poor families so that they can enjoy a brighter future,” adds Ms Carmen Foo in closing.
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/795371/poverty-rate-of-rural-and-urban-areas-malaysia/
[2] IMD World Competitive Yearbook 2021 (https://www.epu.gov.my/sites/default/files/2021-12/MEIF%202021.pdf)
[3] https://www.epu.gov.my/sites/default/files/2021-07/Malaysia_Voluntary_National_Review_%28VNR%29_2021.pdf page 45
[4] https://www.epu.gov.my/sites/default/files/2021-07/Malaysia_Voluntary_National_Review_%28VNR%29_2021.pdf page 47
[5] Always check brand new clothes for colour fastness before adding to your regular laundry load. Cotton, wool and silk are more likely to leach dye on the first few washes compared to synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon and acrylic. Wash clothes of these materials separately on the gentle cycle in cold water to be safe.
[6] Based on an independent lab test conducted in Japan.
