Press Release 2018

UOB Malaysia's clients and colleagues celebrate the Lunar New Year with Children's Homes

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 15 February 2018 - With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, close to 50 United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) clients and employees came together earlier this month as part of the annual UOB Malaysia Lunar New Year volunteer activity. Colleagues and clients from the Bank's Commercial Banking business helped more than 100 children from Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Ampang¹ and Yayasan Sunbeams Home² celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Mr Hendra Gunawan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, UOB Malaysia, led the volunteer group in spending the morning of 2 February 2018 with 60 children from Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Ampang doing finger painting, cupcake baking and sandwich making. In the afternoon, they took children from the Yayasan Sunbeams Home to the Jungle Gym in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur for fun and games. There, the children were presented with UOB red packets and oranges, new clothes and stationery sets as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Commenting on the day's festivities, Mr Gunawan said, "Malaysians across the country look forward to the Lunar New Year as they celebrate the festival with their neighbours, friends and family in their local communities. At UOB Malaysia, it is customary for us to give back to the community every Lunar New Year, together with our clients and colleagues. This year we were enthusiastic about spending time with the children of the Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Ampang and Yayasan Sunbeams Home and we hope that we have been able to help create joyful memories for these children."

The annual UOB Malaysia Lunar New Year volunteer activity is part of UOB Malaysia's Heartbeat Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, which is the Bank's flagship CSR programme focused on art, children and education. UOB Malaysia Heartbeat comprises various fundraising and outreach initiatives, including the annual UOB Heartbeat Run/Walk event, the UOB Commercial Banking Lunar New Year outreach event and the UOB Heartbeat Employee Volunteerism programme.

"Ms Christine Wong, Founder of the Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Ampang, said, "It is very heartening to see a caring corporate citizen such as UOB Malaysia supporting us in our journey to build a society where people of all abilities are included. The activities organised by the Bank offer our children the opportunity to practise their basic social and interaction skills. Events such as these not only enable our children to learn how to engage and interact with people outside of the centre, but also help them to build their confidence as they achieve what they set out to do by completing simple activities such as baking and cooking."

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¹ Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Ampang was established in 1999 to provide care, education and vocational training for individuals with disabilities. Source: Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Ampang's website.

² Yayasan Sunbeams Home provides care, quality education and a safe environment for children from abused, neglected and underprivileged backgrounds. Source: Yayasan Sunbeams Home's website.