Friday, April 18, 2008,
Rumah Nur Salam
Ericsson Malaysia and Maxis Communications Bhd today launched a wireless broadband
room, ACCESS@Nur Salam, to bring computer classes and internet fun to children living in the Chow Kit areas. The launch was officiated by YBhg Datuk Dr Halim Shafie, Chairman of
Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) together with Jon Eddy Abdullah, Chief Operating Officer of Maxis and Krishna Kumar, President and Country Manager of Ericsson Malaysia.
ACCESS@Nur Salam was established by Ericsson. The company helped to build and furnish the broadband room, supply nine units of computers, as well as install and provide annual maintenance and service support for the computers and broadband network. The purpose is to
provide the children of Rumah Nur Salam with the opportunity to develop computer skills and
enhance their learning process through broadband. This project is implemented in collaboration
with Ericsson’s customer, Maxis, who is providing free broadband subscription and access on its
High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network.
ACCESS@Nur Salam currently provides three basic computer and internet classes on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday to about 18 students, aged from 7 to 13. In addition to the
sponsorship, Ericsson employees and spouses are also actively involved in several voluntary
programs at Rumah Nur Salam. This includes teaching of computer classes, organizing arts &
crafts workshops and providing language lessons for the children at the shelter.
YBhg Datuk Dr Halim Shafie, Chairman of SKMM, said, “I would like to encourage this
collaboration as it will definitely benefit the public and support SKMM’s and the various government initiatives in bridging the digital divide. Another vital component in getting people to utilisebroadband services is the availability of training facilities to enhance the public’s exposure andawareness of the benefits of broadband. ACCESS@Nur Salam can play such a role.” “This broadband room is a modest contribution under our Corporate Responsibility umbrella, ‘Shaping a Better Tomorrow’,” said Krishna Kumar, President and Country Manager of Ericsson Malaysia. “Ericsson is committed to driving ‘communication for all’. The children of Rumah Nur Salam are the first beneficiaries of our CR program. They are an apt example of community livingin the middle of Kuala Lumpur with its developed infrastructure but yet, have no access to communications and the opportunity to benefit from it. Broadband access is key for socioeconomicgrowth of a society. We hope to work closely with our partners such as Maxis to enablemore people, especially children, to experience and benefit from it.”
According to Jon Eddy Abdullah, Chief Operating Officer at Maxis Communications Bhd, the
Rumah Nur Salam joint initiative with Ericsson is part of a larger Corporate Social Responsibility
program by Maxis, themed ‘Maxis Bridging Communities’, featuring its flagship project Cyberkids, anationwide rural schools outreach project launched in 2002 with the Ministry of Energy, Water and Telecommunications (KTAK) to help narrow the digital divide in rural Malaysia through sustained ICT training and information exposure for children.
“Maxis strongly believes that we need to support children whose circumstances may have left them behind in the digital era, whether in rural areas or in thriving urban Chow Kit,” said Eddy. “In parallel, Maxis Broadband has been expanding rapidly in the last year as a compelling mainstream service. We hope that with this small contribution, we will be able to provide access to the world for the children of Rumah Nur Salam, via Maxis Broadband.”
Rumah Nur Salam was established in October 2006 under the umbrella of Yayasan Salam Malaysia, a national non-government organization. The center provides shelter, basic necessities and educational, health and recreational activities to keep them off the streets and enable them to realize their potential beyond their current background/upbringing.
Tan Sri Razali Ismail, Chairman of Yayasan Salam, who was also present at the launch, said: “Thesupport and sponsorship by Ericsson and Maxis signify that Salam’s struggles and endeavours have not been in vain but are acknowledged. This is a tremendous encouragement to the staff and volunteers to strive on, better and harder, and to hold fast to Salam’s mission to serve the people.”
