Sabah And Sarawak NGOs Receive Bulk Of Shell Malaysia Sustainable Development Grants 2015

KOTA KINABALU, 7 May 2015 - Shell today announced that it was awarding over RM325,000 to support nine deserving NGOs for environmental conservation and sustainable livelihood initiatives, under its Shell Malaysia Sustainable Development Grants programme. Six of the nine initiatives benefit Sabah and Sarawak, while the rest are for initiatives in Peninsular Malaysia.    

Sabah-based Blue Life ecoservices was awarded the highest amount of RM100,000 for two of its projects, “Fishing for Litter” as well as “Aquaponic and Home Gardens for Better Livelihoods”, which will benefit the inhabitants of Mantanani, a remote island off the northwest coast of Sabah. “Fishing for Litter” is a project to establish a permanent organised management system for marine plastic litter as well as waste on the island’s coastlines and beaches. The NGO’s second project will be to develop home gardens and a Multi-trophic Aquaponic Greenhouse to benefit the island’s inhabitants.

“We are grateful for the support and partnership that Shell has rendered through their sustainable development grants. The funds from this grant will go a long way in helping our mission to increase environmental, social and economic value for disadvantaged communities, particularly in coastal areas and on islands such as Mantanani,” said Fred Weirowski, Director of Blue Life ecoservices. 

Presenting the grants, Guest-of-Honour Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, Sabah State Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment, said, “The Shell Malaysia Sustainable Development Grant programme is a great example of private-public partnerships that demonstrate how much more we can achieve when we work together. Now in its seventh year, this programme has certainly made great progress in the areas of enterprise development, environmental conservation, knowledge transfer, and community development.” 

Speaking at the event, Siti Sulaiman, General Manager, Sabah, Shell Malaysia, said, “Sustainability is central to how Shell does business – it is part of our business principles and our long-term strategy. We take a very far-reaching view to meet tomorrow’s complex energy challenges in the most effective and responsible way today. However, we cannot do it alone. With the Shell Sustainable Development Grants programme, we are able to leverage the reach and insights of NGOs and other like-minded organisations to work on wider environmental and societal issues.” 

Besides Blue Life Ecoservices, this year’s grant recipients include the Malaysian Nature Society(Miri Branch), Community-led Environmental Awareness For Our River (CLEAR), SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3, SK Damansara Jaya 2, SK Bukit Damansara, ENACTUS Universiti Utara Malaysia, Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies Society (BEST Society), and Tatana Roots Community. 

This year, grant recipients were selected by an independent panel of judges from a list of over 80 applicants, based on practicality of initiatives, its direct benefits, financial need, sustainability, and originality. 

Introduced in 2008, the Shell Malaysia Sustainable Development Grant programme aims to accelerate the country’s sustainable development progress by empowering Malaysia-based NGOs, local academic institutions, schools, societies and individuals to initiate projects within the ambit of sustainable development. To date, more than RM3 million has been awarded to 73 NGOs. 

For further Media Enquiries, please contact:

Mr. Leigh Wong, Head of Media Relations & Issues Management 

Email: leigh.wong@shell.com

About Shell

Shell is a global leader in power, energy, and gas technology and is working to meet increasing energy demand and supply challenges by delivering smarter products and cleaner energy, infrastructure, and by developing new energy sources while addressing the impact on the environment. Malaysia is one of Shell’s heartlands. The history of Royal Dutch Shell in Malaysia started more than 120 years in Miri, Sarawak. Shell currently has a strong market presence in the upstream and downstream sector in Malaysia.