Founded by Tan Yuen Mun, Kenyang is dedicated to empowering children aged seven to 12 from B40 households. To that end, its RM0 Meal Assistance programme was launched in November to address the issue of food scarcity in families.
This year, Kenyang aims to expand its reach to ensure 45 students receive nutritious meals every weekday, up from 32 students from Chemor previously. Tan said she and her team decided to increase the number of beneficiaries after observing the positive impact the programme had on the initial batch of recipients.
“One touching story involves a child who was consistently absent at school, who began attending class more regularly as he was provided regular nutritious Kenyang RM0 meals. The family noticed that the child became healthier and happier,” said Tan, who founded aRemnant Social Enterprise in 2022 to help the Ipoh community.
Central to the success of the programme are collaborations with local vendors, including the international hunger relief organisation Rise Against Hunger, Beacon Chicken (Beacon Mart), Fantastic Pastry Academy in Ipoh, vegetable farmer Uncle Leong from Cameron Highlands, and Ezy’s Farm in Ipoh.
Tan, 66, told FMT Lifestyle that these collaborators “play a crucial role in coordinating the rescue of surplus food, diverting it from landfills and transforming it into nutritious meals for the underprivileged”.
Kenyang is supported by social enterprise Biji-Biji Initiative, in partnership with Yayasan Hasanah. Explaining its origins, Tan said the idea came about following an encounter in 2019 with a medical student named Hamka, who survived on one meal a day.
Hamka’s recovery after receiving supplements and nutritious items ignited Tan’s commitment to helping the less fortunate. Hamka now serves as a medical officer at Taiping Hospital.
Since its inception, Kenyang has been operating from 117 Hub in Ipoh, which will soon function as a homestay, slated to be operational in the next three months. It will also serve as a community space for students of Kenyang’s Hands-On Home Living Model programme, which will be launched by the middle of the year.
The programme will provide modules for homes, schools and offices, focusing on skills like composting, sustainable gardening, and rainwater harvesting.
“Our goal is not just to give immediate help but to create a community that can take care of itself,” Tan explained. “We want to teach others how to be self-sufficient, and we hope they use what they learn at home to help make our community more food-secure.”
Tan further revealed that Kenyang has numerous plans for 2024, including the launch of a sustainable garden project that will incorporate, among other things, a rainwater collection system, rooftop paddy field, and the cultivation of edible plants and air-cleaning species.
Moreover, they are set to collaborate with a local pastry academy to teach B40 students how to cook.
To ensure the success of these programmes and others, Tan is seeking volunteers to help with social media and on the ground, as well as meal preparation.
“Kenyang envisions a community-driven movement, and your support is crucial. Let’s come together to empower individuals and families; be a part of our story as we strive to transform lives, one plate at a time,” she concluded.
To volunteer at Kenyang, contact 012-651 8082 (Mun) or e-mail kenyang.story@gmail.com.
To find out more, follow Kenyang on Instagram and Facebook.
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