Then there is resilience. Building resilience is familiar to us, having advocated it for the last half a decade through our Community-Based Approach initiatives. Juggling between pre-determined and ad-hoc pandemic-related projects were truly a sign of the times, but we took it all in stride.

Our mandate as an impact-driven grant-making foundation has always been our beacon, and fulfilling it efficiently and effectively, our mission. Ultimately, all efforts boil down to impact which can be measured in a few ways. One, through numbers and secondly, via the experiences and accounts of our partners and beneficiaries. You will find all these—and more—in the sections that follow.

All in all, 2020 presented many challenges but our relationships with civil society, governmental bodies and corporate Malaysia meant navigating unchartered territories together. Our response to the rise of infections in Sabah, the on-going CERDIK initiative and the coordination of The Government-Linked Companies and Government-Linked Investment Companies Disaster Response Network (GDRN) are testaments to relationships built on a strong foundation of common goals, which we take great pride in. I am grateful for all the support Yayasan Hasanah has received in the past five years and hope this continues in the years to come.

Now, it is said that ‘necessity is the mother invention’. I believe, above all else, 2020 has taught us that when push comes to shove, we innovate, we adapt, and we find a way — or better still, we pave one.

The unique intricacies of the times also affected our organisation internally. Programme KPIs were adjusted in consultation with our partners, and for the first time, Hasanah provided unrestricted COVID-19 funding to all our 39 partners to help them cope with the uncertainties. Our team started to work from home most of 2020 and now, well into 2021. This required a shift in our organisational culture and a new way of working to be established. Most of our capacity development programmes also shifted online.

The pandemic has certainly brought corporate philanthropy to the forefront. One of the things I have learned and witnessed in the last 18 months is the power of collaboration and networks. And for collaboration to happen in its truest sense, we need to move away from the insistent focus of “egos and logos” and shift to a shared mission and purpose for the greater good.

One of the positive outcomes of this pandemic is the acceleration of collaboration and the building of social capital and trust amongst like-minded stakeholders and partners. 2020 proved that together, we are all indeed stronger and more impactful. The collaboration and support of various stakeholders, all bound by a common purpose and mission, created heartfelt impacts to many lives in need in 2020.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Board of Trustees for their unwavering support and guidance that was given continuously during these challenging times. Similarly, I would also like to thank all our partners, peers and stakeholders for the extraordinary impacts rendered during a time of need. Finally, a note of thanks to my amazing team who despite the difficult times, stepped up like a true Hasanah Hero to do whatever needed to get done. We learnt of silver linings amid setbacks and we all did our best to embrace change and uncertainties with dedication, strength and resilience.

I hope you will find The Hasanah Report 2020 a useful and enjoyable read.

Stay safe and stay well.