Alpro Foundation, the charity arm of Malaysia’s largest prescription pharmacy chain, Alpro Pharmacy, has collaborated with acclaimed Malaysian savant artist, Wan Jamila Wan Shaiful Bahri a.k.a. ARTJAMILA to raise funds for the Autism community in the country.

The initiative saw Alpro Foundation launch the limited edition ‘Alpro X ARTJAMILA’ wet wipes which featured three unique illustrations done by Wan Jamila. For every bundle of wet wipes that were sold, RM0.60 were donated to the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM).

To date, Alpro has sold over 21,000 packets of the product and have successfully raised around RM13,000 in support of children from the Autism community.

Chief Executive Officer of the Alpro Foundation, Ostwin Paw Yen Thng mentioned that the organisation was privileged to be collaborating with an inspiring individual like Wan Jamila who is also an active advocate for autism awareness in Malaysia.

“Wan Jamila is the perfect example to show that children with Autism are capable of achieving amazing things in life when empowered with the right opportunity and freedom to express themselves,” said Ostwin.

“We are glad that this project which was dedicated for the Autism community was well-received by the public. As a community-centric organisation, we are privileged to be in a position to bring change for the betterment of the community and we will continue to channel efforts specifically in the areas of children’s welfare and education,” he added.

Known professionally as ARTJAMILA, teenager Wan Jamila first embarked in the arts industry in 2017 and has since gone on to win multiple awards and recognition, even earning international acclaim for many of her artworks and paintings.

“I feel very proud and happy to be a part of this initiative with Alpro Foundation and being able to contribute to NASOM’s efforts to further develop the potential of people with Autism through educational services,” said Jamila.

“My message for everyone is to understand that autism is not a disability, it is just a different ability,” she added.

Julian Wong, Chairman of NASOM praised the collaborative effort between Alpro Foundation and ARTJAMILA in helping to spread autism awareness among Malaysians.

“Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often misunderstood to be a disease, when in reality it is not. People with autism are just like any one of us, except they are blessed with abilities to perceive and express things differently,” said Julian Wong

“The success stories of individuals like Wan Jamila along with the involvement of companies like Alpro helps to bring much-needed visibility on the importance of accepting and empowering this special community”, Julian added.

Speaking of Alpro Foundation’s other upcoming initiatives, Ostwin shared that the organisation is currently looking to provide educational support and welfare for underprivileged children through the ‘Growing Stars Project’.

“Many underprivileged children are facing the risk of dropping out of school as they do not have a tech device or stable internet connection in their areas to participate in the home-based learning and online lessons that are being conducted,” Ostwin said.

“To secure the education of students who were affected by the pandemic, our latest project aims to raise RM1.3 million to support at least 1000 households with a tablet and internet data package,” he added.