Kota Kinabalu: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s Wanita [email protected] Programme has proven to be an empowering platform that assists women in improving their economic status.
This is demonstrated by the number of women who have succeeded in their undertakings six months after completing courses through the programme.
The Wanita Bangkit @KPWKM programme was created to help women overcome obstacles and hurdles by generating income through entrepreneurship.
“To date, a total of 18,250 women have participated in this entrepreneurship programme, which has provided business capital, guidance, and motivation, as well as connections with businesses from experienced mentors, who are also strategic partners of the Ministry,” said its Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri at the Wanita [email protected] Programme held at the Sabah International Convention Centre, here, last Saturday.
Additionally, the Wanita Bangkit @KPWKM MyKasih Kapital is a programme that assists women impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in starting small enterprises in the area of e-commerce and small businesses that are not covered by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Cooperative Development, Tekun, and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia.
This initiative attempts to strengthen the target group’s economy, particularly women’s, by maximising the potential of individuals based on their abilities so that they do not rely solely on government aid.
Participants in MyKasih Kapital will be evaluated, monitored, and followed up with courses by government departments/agencies, as well as sharing experiences and tips from successful entrepreneurs to prepare them for the business world.
“Our six-month monitoring revealed that 90per cent of the 14,770 participants who took the course boosted their monthly income from RM500 to RM1,000, while another 10per cent increased their monthly income by up to RM3,000,” she said.
She said that the approach of giving advice, counselling, and psychoeducation from the Local Social Support Centre (PSSS) Certified Counsellor to strengthen women’s identity can bring awareness and discovery of new knowledge through emotional support.
“This is crucial so that individuals can improve resilience and begin a new life as a result of lost income owing to the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic, divorce, physical or mental abuse, and increasing cost of living,” she said.
“PSSS’s collaboration is capable of training participants to control stress and think positively in the face of business obstacles,” she said.
She said that the Wanita [email protected] programme will not be able to achieve its objectives without robust and structured coordination and collaboration with industry players.
The course sessions provide a lot of exposure to help guide the participants.
Nancy, who is also the Chairwoman of Yayasan Kebajikan Negara (YKN), said that one of YKN’s strategic partners is Perkeso, which provides participants, some of whom are housewives, with information on the Housewives’ Social Security Scheme (SKSSR) and the Self-Employment Security Scheme (SKPS).
“The service system provides protection from domestic violence and incapacity while managing the household and generating family income,” she said.
The Wanita [email protected] programme is also supported by mentor entrepreneurs who rose from the ranks of housewives to become successful business owners.
The exchange of experiences and business advice seeks to instil passion and drive while also broadening the network of women who have launched small enterprises.
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