The Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) has announced a comprehensive charitable initiative totaling over RM350,000, including 100 fully-funded scholarships and direct financial assistance to students and charity homes, according to a statement issued by Impact Advisory.
The centrepiece of the initiative is the MRCA Academy Scholarship 2025, offering 100 scholarship places exclusively to full-time employees of MRCA member companies. The programme, developed in partnership with Sunway University, London Examinations Board, Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PERNAS), and INTI International University & Colleges, provides industry-recognised certifications in four specialised areas.
Recipients can pursue qualifications including Micro-Credentials in Retail Marketing and F&B Management, or Executive Diplomas in Retail Management and Franchise Operation - all designed specifically for Malaysia's retail and food & beverage sectors.
"This initiative reflects MRCA's deep commitment to nurturing talent in the retail and franchise sectors," said MRCA President Datuk Dr Ken Phua. "We believe in empowering our workforce with practical skills and recognised qualifications that fuel both individual and industry growth."
The scholarship programme was funded entirely through proceeds from MRCA's Chinese New Year Gala Dinner 2025, which raised RM348,076 through auctions.
Beyond workforce development, the MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation provided RM10,000 each in direct financial assistance to two students: Lee Chun Ket (Brayan), pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and Meekesh Rueban Nagayah, studying Interior Design.
The foundation also distributed RM10,000 among four charity homes - Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumah Warga Emas Gemilang, Rumah Kasih, Pertubuhan Pendidikan Anak-Anak Yatim Selangor (Rumah Bakti Dato' Harun), and Hospis Malaysia - with each receiving RM2,500. These funds were raised during MRCA's Charity Golf event at Bangi Golf Resort.
The announcements were made during MRCA's bi-monthly Members' Meeting, attended by Tourism Malaysia Senior Director Encik Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, who heads the Visit Malaysia 2026 Secretariat.
The initiative demonstrates how MRCA transforms industry networking events into meaningful educational and charitable opportunities, enhancing both professional development and community welfare across Malaysia's retail sector.
Note: I was part of Impact Advisory when this piece was written. I’ve since moved on.
Chuah Bee Kim (roamwithbee@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.