In December 2008, a welfare distribution programme called MyKasih was initiated to provide an innovative welfare delivery system encompassing an end-to-end solution from food-aid distribution to education and counseling to help adults be more financially independent and encourage and prepare youth for higher education.
MyKasih Foundation, a non-profit organization was then established. It aims to help less fortunate Malaysians regardless of race, religion and descent towards loving and caring neighborhood all over Malaysia. The foundation was tasked to oversee all expenditure and disbursement of contributions to ensure funds are used strictly for its intended purposes.
Contributions from corporate bodies to subsidize the cost of essential food items are channelled to the MyKasih Foundation. Through these contributions, MyKasih will credit RM40 into the beneficiaries’ account every fortnight to help defray the cost of essential food items. The beneficiary will then be given a list of ten essential items that can be purchased from selected retail outlets within neighbouring vicinity. The ten food essential items includes rice, cooking oil, flour, milk, bread, seasoning, biscuit, sugar, canned food and packed noodles.
A process of enrolment will then be initiated. MyKasih Foundation enlists the help of NGOs to identify the recipient families. Established qualitative and quantitative criteria are used to assess the qualification of the recipients. The criteria, among others include number of members in the family, household income, ownership of the assets, etc. A beneficiary, usually the mother, is selected in each family and an account is set up in her name.
The enrolment is a paperless process, using Malaysia’s Smart Card based Identification or MyKad where the beneficiary’s details are accessed directly from the MyKad chip. By making use of the Single Identity Number and electronic data stored in MyKad, the process is made simplified, automated, accurate and efficient. The fact that no form filling is required makes MyKasih user friendly approach more acceptable to illiterate women.
Apart from the personal data of the cardholder, the Malaysian Identity Card also contains digitized biometric in the chip. With this unique feature, the MyKasih system added a second level of personal authentication using the biometric features. The registration process requires checking of the MyKad holder’s thumbprint against the thumbprint recorded in the chip to assist in verifying the identity of the person registered.
Immediately after the enrolment session is completed, a Personal Identification Number (PIN) is assigned to the beneficiary as an additional security feature to be used during each transaction. This dual security feature is designed to ensure that the whole transaction process is secure.
At selected food distribution centres, the MyKasih beneficiary selects the items she requires. After selecting these foods, she proceeds to a dedicated MyKasih check-out lane to register the purchased. She then slots in her MyKad into the smart card acceptance device and keys in her PIN to complete the transaction. Only the selected 10 essential food items are allowed to be purchased from the bi-monthly allowance. Purchasing luxury items, cigarettes or liquor are forbidden as the bar-code scanner is programmed to only detect the essential items. The recipient will then be issued a receipt detailing of the purchase and balance of her eligible allowance.
The computerised system also enables MyKasih to provide audit trails, and analysis reports on demographics and consumption patterns, which makes it easy for corporate sponsors to monitor their donations.
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