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Firefly
News
12 | FireFlyz
T
he
airline announced
the extension of the
Connecting Communi-
ties Programme, which
was first launched back
in February this year
with charity partner the
Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) for
a three-month trial period, to a full year.
Connecting Communities Programme
is an online donation campaign via the
Firefly website that offers its customers
the opportunity to donate one ringgit per
flight ticket purchase to MAF. Proceeds
raised from the donation drive will be
channeled to MAF’s Treatment, Care
and Support Programme, which seeks to
improve access to HIV healthcare, support
and welfare services for Malaysia’s un-
deserved communities who are affected
by HIV & AIDS, particularly women and
children in rural settings.
Firefly Chief Executive Officer Ignatius
Ong said, “We are proud to continue the
partnership with MAF on the Connecting
Communities Programme and could
not think of a more opportune time to
announce its extension than during the
preparation for World AIDS Day, where
deeds of kindness and charity are encour-
aged. From the trial period, we learned
that there is still a lot that needs to be
done to improve on our HIV response.
For instance, access to anti-retroviral
(anti-HIV) treatment in our country is still
low – only 47% of all people living with
HIV who are eligible for treatment have
access to it. We hope that by extending
the period of this Programme, we are
able to raise more money and ultimately
connect more people and communities,
especially those in oft-ignored parts of
the country, to comprehensive HIV ser-
vices provided by MAF and its partners,
in tandem with our ongoing efforts to
improve our connectivity and expand
our networks.”
The Treatment, Care and Support
Programme is an essential component in
the HIV continuum of care which covers
a spectrum of intervention activities and
services tomeet the needs of people living
with HIV and to ensure that they adhere
to the treatment regime. Donations col-
lected from the Connecting Communities
Programme will be used to complement
and expand existing HIV services, one of
which is shelter homes in more than 20
locations nationwide.
“In spite of the advances that we have
made in HIV science, improving access to
lifesaving antiretroviral treatment remains
a formidable challenge for a myriad of
reasons – stigma, discrimination, socio-
economic inequities, geographical factors
and so forth,” commentedMAF Chairman
Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman. “Recog-
nising these challenges, we have mapped
out a strategy that looks to enhance the
role of concerned corporate citizens such
as Firefly in mobilising resources and
taking HIV awareness to greater heights.
Therefore, we are extremely grateful for
this partnership and are hopeful of the
positive changes that it will bring about
in the lives of the communities of people
living with HIV that we serve,” she added.
MAF Red Ribbon Celebrity Supporter
Dayang Nurfaizah encourages one and all
to do their bit for society. As spokesperson
for MAF’s Treatment, Care and Support
Programme, Dayang explained, “With
the click of a button, you have the power
to provide shelter for someone who has
lost a home because of their HIV status,
and save the life of a person living with
HIV by offering them crucial medicines.
Let’s connect with one another and make
Malaysia a better home for people living
with HIV.”
Firef ly
Extends Connecting Communites Programme
with The
Malaysian AIDS Foundation