Swepa Barefoot Solar Project to benefit Nabawan villages By Fiqah Roslan
KOTA KINABALU: The 12th Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association (Swepa) installation and charity ball will take place on October 22 this year, at The Magellan Sutera Resort grand ballroom.
Themed ‘Vintage Classic,’ this year’s installation will continue to fund the Swepa Barefoot Solar Project which is now in its third instalment.
Incoming Swepa president Datuk Aminah Ambrose said the association had already identified two villages in the district of Nabawan, which will benefit from the project.
“The villages are Kampung Salong and Kampung Tikamdis, and we are currently in the midst of identifying two grandmothers to send to India in March of 2018,” she said.
The Barefoot Solar Project has trained three grandmothers since its inception, to install solar panels into identified houses as well as to connect wiring from the panels to the lights to maintain all equipment, including rechargeable solar lanterns.
The grandmothers, Tarahing Masanim, Gining Jaineh and Rusni Singkamung were sent to Barefoot College in Tilonia, India, where they were trained for six months.
In addition to the Barefoot Solar Project, funds raised from the charity ball will also be channelled towards the Swepa ENRICHE Programme as a continuation of the project.
Aminah explained that the ENRICHE programme aims to implement skills within rural communities through training for the hardcore poor, such as The Art of Creative Sewing Course.
She said at a press conference yesterday that orders have already been placed with the women partaking in the sewing course, which will guarantee them income upon completing their training.
She also revealed that 50 per cent of tickets to the charity ball have already been purchased, but Swepa still needs support from the corporate sector as well as the public at large.
Tickets are priced at RM10,000, RM5,000, RM3,000 and RM2,000 per table for 10, and can be purchased by contacting Niney Chong at 016-8443989, Doritz at 012-5102604 or Emmie at 0128840233, or emailing Swepa. secretariat@gmail.com.