‘RM300,000 for new recipients under KIRWaS this year’
A sum of RM300,000 has been allocated by the Sarawak government to benefit 628 new recipients under the Sarawak Women Head of Household Assistance (KIRWaS) programme this year, said Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
The Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister said this programme aims to empower Sarawakian women with business capital to engage in entrepreneurship while increasing women’s participation in the economic sector.
She also said that her ministry through the Sarawak Women and Family Department (JWKS) will be carrying out a sixmonth monitoring programme on recipients after they have received the assistance to ensure the effectiveness of this initiative.
“This is so that the aid recipients can successfully generate income above the current Poverty Line Income (PGK) which is RM2,618 per month,” she said at the Sarawak Women’s Empowerment Capital Grant Presentation at the main hall of The Federation of Chinese Associations Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions here yesterday.
Fatimah pointed out that Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg had previously mentioned that there was no reason why the state government should not continue providing allocations so long as the projects or initiatives have proven to be beneficial for the people.
“So, it is very important that the recipients who receive KIRWaS this year can prove that the assistance they received will not be in vain and had contributed to an increase of their income.
“We will document all this in terms of their success and from there, this allows us to ask for more allocation for other groups in the coming year,” she said.
Fatimah said JWKS was also allocated RM2.5 million by the Sarawak government for the implementation of the Sarawak Women’s Empowerment Capital Grant.
“The Sarawak Women’s Empowerment Capital Grant is in the form of business equipment amounting to RM2,000 for a participant (one-off) in the target group, namely Sarawakian women entrepreneurs aged 18 and above in the B40 group who are eligible.
“I understand that for Kuching Division, a total of 311 women entrepreneurs will receive equipment from the beginning of January this year.
“Therefore, we hope that the recipients will take full advantage of this capital grant in developing their respective businesses,” she said.
She pointed out that the implementation of the Sarawak Women’s Empowerment Capital Grant involved collaboration between JWKS and strategic partners among Sarawak nongovernmental organisations (NGOs).
“I would like to thank The Federation of Chinese Associations for being a strategic partner for the implementation of this initiative for the Kuching and Samarahan Divisions.
“Hopefully all the components in the implementation of this initiative including the purchase of goods, monitoring the receipt of goods and the progress of the recipients’ income can be done smoothly and well with the collaboration with The Federation of Chinese Associations throughout this year,” she said.
Also present were Federation of Chinese Associations of Sarawak president Dato Richard Wee and Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development permanent secretary Noriah Ahmad.