RM16,500 for Yasmin Ahmad MERCY Malaysia fund

Filmmaker-director Yasmin Ahmad may have passed on 10 years ago, but her legacy remains strong in the people who have been inspired by her work. To commemorate the 10^th anniversary of Yasmin’s passing, fans and friends raised RM16,500, which was donated to the MERCY Malaysia-Yasmin Ahmad Fund for Children to help children in need.

“It seems like yesterday when we first launched the Yasmin Ahmad Fund for Children,“ says Datin Raja Riza Syazmin, Vice President II of MERCY Malaysia.

The fund was launched in September 2009, in honour and memory of the late Yasmin’s humanitarian spirit. The fund was first initiated by cosmetic brand Silkygirl in collaboration with MERCY Malaysia.

It continued to attract donors throughout the years, with fundrasing events being conducted in 2009 and 2012. This year’s memoriam and fundraising project included a Japanese fan event in Tokyo and special screenings of Yasmin’s iconic works including ‘Rabun’, ‘Sepet’, ‘Gubra’, Mukhsin, ‘Muallaf’ and Talentime held at Tamarind Square and GMBB.

“Until today, Yasmin touched so many lives that we continue to feel her presence through her work and the values she lived by,” says Datin Orked Ahmad, Yasmin’s sister who has been spearheading the Yasmin Ahmad Fund for Children for the past 10 years. 

The latest amount donation of RM16,500 was generated from the public screenings and the books sale of “Yasmin How You know”, “Yasmin I lup Chew” and a recently launched book in Japanese language, a meticulously researched exposition of Yasmin’s work by Professor Yamamoto Hiroyuki from Kyoto University.

The books are available for purchase at Book Xcess outlets and Kinokuniya KLCC.

Datin Orked adds, “We are grateful for Yasmin’s fans-turned-friends, volunteers and partners who have come together to celebrate her life and her humanitarian spirit – in service of others. We hope the donation for Mercy Malaysia will extend the Sadaqah for her and our parents.“

The fund supports MERCY Malaysia’s children-related programmes, such as provide stationery and furniture for a school in Cambodia, bring dental health awareness and treatment to Orang Asli children, and build Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) in disaster and conflict areas such as  Bangladesh, Myanmar, Lombok and Palu.