Nazkids’ product range focuses on traditional Malay clothing, particular for babies and young children. (25 July 2022) – Photos provided by Baitulhusna Ahmad Zamri
One does not need vast resources to effect positive change in a community, just a little passion and a sincere desire to help others.
That was what motivated Baitulhusna Ahmad Zamri to found Nazkids, a social enterprise that empowers women in Jitra, Kedah, by training them to make and sell clothing online.
The new economic opportunities it opened up have significantly improved the quality of life for over 100 participating women – who are called ‘beneficiaries’ – since the initiative took flight in 2015.
“Our main aim is to help them become self-sufficient. By teaching these women how to make a product, how to sell it and how to find new customers, they have the tools to become entrepreneurs.
“And if they continue the cycle by teaching others, the positive impact on society will be tremendous,” shared 34-year-old Baitulhusna, who runs the effort with sister Khairunnisa, 36.
Nazkids founders Baitulhusna Ahmad Zamri (front right) and Khairunnisa Ahmad Zamri (front left) posing together with some of the Nazkids women during an outing to a local shopping mall.— Photos provided by Baitulhusna Ahmad ZamriHer path to Nazkids came about by serendipity. Born in Johor Bahru, she studied biotechnology in university and then worked as a personal assistant and marketing coordinator for several companies in the Subang area.
But she always wanted to follow in the footsteps of her parents, who ran a family tailoring business in their hometown of Jitra. So in 2014, she quit the corporate sector to set up her own t-shirt printing business.
Unfortunately, the venture did not bear fruit and she lost most of her savings. That prompted her to take a sabbatical and do voluntary work in nearby countries like Laos and Vietnam.
“It was then I realised that I loved helping people. And I wanted to bring positive change to my fellow Malaysians.
“At that time, many businesses in Jitra were struggling and my parents’ shop wasn’t spared. Prices for products did not commensurate with rising costs and many found it hard to be profitable.
“I came in and turned the business model into Nazkids – with Naz being an acronym of my parents’ names and kids referring to me and my sister.
“It is still a family affair, but it allowed me to earn a living while doing something that I’m passionate about – empowering youth and women,” Baitulhusna explained.
In her conversations with women in the Jitra area, she found that many did not have higher education. They stopped after high school, which made it hard for them to secure jobs.
Many were also married by their late teens or early twenties. Some husbands also discouraged the women from working and preferred them to stay at home to take care of the family.
“Having just a single source of income made it hard for many families to sustain themselves. But there was one small positive - most of the women here have some basic skills in sewing.
“We decided to capitalise on that by engaging them to work at our facility. For those who couldn’t work full-time, they could still do it from home and we even provided them with all the necessary things from sewing machines to fabrics, needles and scissors.
“All they had to contribute was their skills and time. We pay the women based on how many pieces they produced each day, week or month.
“If they finish their Nazkids quota ahead of time, they’re also free to use our sewing machines to do orders for their own clients. This allows them to generate income from multiple sources.
“Our pieces are sold online through our social media platforms and website, as well as e-commerce sites like Shopee and Lazada. We’ve also recently penetrated the Brunei market and are working with a partner there to sell both online and offline,” Baitulhusna said of their model.
The reach of such platforms significantly widens the potential customer base and gives the beneficiaries marketing opportunities that were previously not available to them.
“The women of Jitra are skilled and can make all sorts of products. But they would typically only sell it within a 5km radius of their home, mostly to friends, relatives or locals.
“Once they exhaust their customer list, they don’t know who else to sell it too. They lacked the marketing reach and that’s where we came in,” she added.
Nazkids currently has about 10 women working full-time and another 10 to 15 working from home part-time. Their main products are traditional Malay clothing.
The focus is on babywear for little ones below 3.5kg, such as mini baju Melayu sets with matching sampin and tengkolok (headgear).
Unlike garments on the mass market, their smaller sizes are better suited to Asian toddlers – and orders come pouring in especially during festive seasons like Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Aidiladha.
“Customers love our wide range of styles and colours. They like to dress their babies up for Aqiqah, a celebration where a Muslim family welcomes their newborn and shows him or her off to relatives and friends.
“We also have a return and refund option for those who have a change of heart. All these keep customers coming back,” Baitulhusna pointed out, adding that they also did not terminate any beneficiaries during the pandemic.
Instead, they innovated and came up with a range of face masks, lanyards and keychains made from traditional songket fabrics. Sales actually soared, as many bought the special face masks for Nikah ceremonies.
Some of the beneficiaries also make hijabs or kain telekung (for prayers) on their own, which Nazkids help them sell.
Baitulhusna said they regularly run free sewing classes to identify potential beneficiaries that they can bring on board. They found that by doing screenings in a more informal setting, the women feel more comfortable and can open up about their life stories.
“A social enterprise is like the frontliner of a community. It can change the whole economic cycle, generate opportunities and provide a platform people to improve their quality of life.
“Hopefully, our efforts inspire others to start up similar initiatives,” she added.
To check out their products, visit www.mynazkids.com or shopee.com.my/nazkids. For updates, follow ‘nazkidsent’ on Facebook and ‘nazkids’ on Instagram.
