IN an event yesterday, officiated by Tengku Zatashah Binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Princess of Selangor, ProVital Immuna Plus in conjunction with Malaysia Day celebrated local heroes and talked about the importance of nutrition in maintaining immune health.
Mead Johnson Nutrition concluded their ‘Healthier Malaysians, Stronger Malaysia’ campaign today with the recognition of the six-person lineup of ‘unsung heroes’ at a virtual event, after three weeks of receiving nominations of admirable individuals across Malaysia from members of the public.
This campaign was launched under Mead Johnson Nutrition’s new adult nutrition brand – ProVital Immuna Plus in an initiative to help support the immune health of the local heroes who are doing extraordinary things to make a difference to the communities.
The ‘Healthier Malaysians, Stronger Malaysia’ campaign aims to celebrate and honour the ordinary Malaysians who have stepped up to bring about positive community impact through their initiatives.
The local heroes who are nominated and identified:
- Kuan Chee Heng or Uncle Kentang, local philanthropist who has been providing various types of aid and assistance to the underprivileged
- Adrian Pereira , Executive Director of North-South Initiative which aims to improve human rights and labour rights among marginalised communities
- Esther Chit, master builder at EPIC Homes that bridges the urban and rural divide through the act of building homes for underprivileged communities
- Aunty Jenny, animal activist who has been rescuing strays for the past 20 years
- Har Yin Geong, volunteer coordinator who assists senior citizens with their vaccination appointments
- Siamy Tan, home cook who coordinates a team of other home cooks to prepare meals for underprivileged groups
“This ‘Healthier Malaysians, Stronger Malaysia’ campaign brings to light the many good initiatives carried out by our fellow Malaysians. It is a celebration of values and the true Malaysian ‘can-do’ spirit demonstrated by many.
“I am truly proud of our local heroes, those known and many, many more unknown. This is the step in the right direction as we create greater awareness of the plight of others and how companies like Mead Johnson and broader community can help.
“It is encouraging to see that Malaysians remain undeterred by their age and the pandemic in their efforts to help and support each other.
“I hope that this campaign and the stories of these Local Heroes will encourage more Malaysians to participate in social work or support existing initiatives, but at the same time, practice good lifestyle habits to remain healthy during this challenging time,” shared Tengku Zatashah.
“While many may have supported these heroes in various ways, let us not forget to take care of our heroes’ health as well, so they have a stronger and healthier body to continue their mission in helping the communities.
“We are also pleased to collaborate with Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia by contributing 1,000 packs of ProVital Immuna Plus containing nutrients to support the immune health of families in need to make sure they stay healthy in these challenging times,” said Gonzalo Balcazar, General Manager of Mead Johnson Nutrition Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
“The public needs to understand that social work can impact our bodies and there should be more awareness about importance of maintaining good health and strong immunity.
“I hope that more Malaysians will emulate these local heroes by taking care of themselves and the people around them,” said Dr Kent Woo Chee Keen, consultant physician, allergist and immunologist of Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
“Nutrition is the key player in terms of immune health and a lot of our adult population in Malaysia are not getting enough and adequate intake of micronutrients, now there is a sense that as you age your appetite decreases, so you might not be able to take the usual amount of food needed to absorb all these micronutrients.
“So in these vulnerable population, usually the elderly, you will need supplements of these micronutrients, certainly studies have shown the elderly are definitely not taking enough adequate nutritional intake,” he added. – The Vibes, September 15, 2021
