Badan Amal Kasih Sayang (Bakasa) hopes to raise RM500,000 from tomorrow’s Earth, Wind and Fire Experience concert in Kuala Lumpur. The funds will support its activities over the next year.
Its president, Datuk Tun Putera Muhammad Abu Bakar Datuk Munir, thanked Milestone Entertainment for selecting Badan Amal Kasih Sayang as its official charity partner for the concert, which features The Al McKay Allstars.
McKay was a member of Earth, Wind and Fire from 1973 to 1981. He is a six-time Grammy award winner and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“This is one of our fundraising events, and we sold over 500 seats for the concert,” said Muhammad Abu Bakar.
“We previously collaborated with Milestone Entertainment in 2019 for the Remembering Whitney Houston concert, and we are grateful that they selected us as their charity partner again.
“As a non-profit charity organisation, we need to find other ways to raise money. While we do have loyal supporters who donate generously as they value our work, it is always good to find other sources of funds.”
Muhammad Abu Bakar, better known as Danial, said the charity was started by his mother, Tengku Muhaini Ahmad Shah, in 2004 to provide aid for underprivileged children.
Bakasa now manages the Tengku Afzan Children’s Home and the Centre of Innovation Tengku Ampuan Afzan (Cintaa), which promotes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“In the 20 years we have been running the home, we have seen the children grow up, get jobs, and some have even started their own families. So, we have become ‘grandparents’,” he joked.
“It is good to see how some have become quite successful.
“The goal of Bakasa is to help underprivileged children through education and skills training. Last year, we held a camp to improve the passing grades in the SPM examinations of all the schools in Raub.
“I’m glad to say we succeeded as the passing grade improved. I must add that we can’t take sole credit for the improvement as the government also had its programmes to improve the results.”
He said that they couldn’t do one this year due to time constraints but hoped to resume the camps next year, adding that they would include schools from Cameron Highlands in Pahang.
Separately, Muhammad Abu Bakar said two children from Cintaa recently finished second in the Line Following Robot category at the Kuala Lumpur Engineering Science Fair Institution of Engineers, Malaysia Robotic Challenge.
“It was a wonderful achievement and shows how far Cintaa has come.”
He added that Bakasa is also involved in other humanitarian efforts, such as the 2021-2022 floods that affected the country.
“We engaged with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and sent aid to those affected in the East Coast, and also in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor,” he said.
“In 2019, we had a programme in which we distributed wheelchairs to those in need, including army veterans, and old folk in the Klang Valley and as far away as Kuching, Sarawak.”
As Badan Amal Kasih Sayang continues to grow and expand its programmes, its commitment to supporting underprivileged children and communities remains steadfast.
