Managing Director's Reflections

The social impact sector is very much like a natural ecosystem. As we have witnessed time and time again, when governments, civil society organisations (CSO), businesses, and communities align their efforts, solutions can take root and grow. 

This is the lens through which I have come to see our work at Hasanah. Not as a series of standalone achievements, but as part of a larger, living system — where each deed has the potential to shape the whole.  

So, our role is not to lead from the afar, but to stand beside — supporting, strengthening and connecting. 

In 2024, together we reached over 814,000 people via 214 new projects, welcomed 147 new partners and managed RM213.5 million in total funds.  

In tandem with the increasingly vital role of CSOs in supporting the government tackle national issues post-pandemic, the number of new projects and partners doubled and tripled respectively from 2023.  

Education and Social Enterprise made up the largest share of our 2024 projects, followed by Community Development — reflecting our focus on education, upskilling, and enabling people to take charge of their own lives and livelihoods. 

On the Environment front, 41 hectares of forest land were rehabilitated by replanting native tree species, 27 tonnes of plastic waste diverted from landfills and Perak Sustainable Development Model was shared on the global stage at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP29. 

In Arts and Public Spaces, continuous efforts led to a renaissance of the heritage textile, Telepuk with the launch of an English-language book reaching a wider audience, youth-focused exhibitions, and the honour of royal patronage. 

Recently, Rural Infrastructure was added to our scope where Hasanah managed RM10 million in new projects to address long-standing needs in underserved areas.. 

Through all this, I am deeply grateful to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Khazanah Nasional, and all our partners for the continued trust. Your conviction in the power of working together is what makes these outcomes possible. 

Of course, disparities in access and opportunities remain. But they are not immovable and we choose to see these not as deficits, instead as spaces that Hasanah must play its role as catalyst, convenor, and collaborator — bringing people, ideas, and resources together for lasting change can take root. 

Due to these collaborations also we now contribute to 15 of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

That said, the work we do is not defined by numbers alone. What truly matters are the lives they represent — teachers fostering safe spaces for children to learn, conservationists restoring hectare by patient hectare of rainforest, and artisans breathing new life into fading traditions. 

Looking back at the year that was, I am reminded that progress does not always come in waves. Sometimes, it begins with a single ripple — growing wider and going farther with every person it touches.