AFTER losing her husband 18 years ago, Y. Alamilo was left to raise two young daughters by selling nasi lemak from her home in Taman Sukun, Bukit Mertajam in Penang.
The 57-year-old said her husband, who worked as a lorry driver, died after a heart attack.
“It was a very difficult period. My daughters were still young at that time and I had to work hard every day just to put food on the table and ensure they could continue their education,” she said.
Besides the RM500 monthly payment she receives from the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), Alamilo sells nasi lemak as her main source of income.
“I never gave up because I wanted to give my children a better future. They were my strength throughout those challenging years,” she said.
Both daughters, now aged 25 and 20, are married, and Alamilo has a grandchild.
She thanked the state government and Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) for helping her to start a small business selling food and drinks.
Salmiah Hasan, 63, has been single-handedly supporting her family after her husband’s demise due to a heart attack.
She said the family had been facing financial difficulties even before her husband’s passing.
“I was only helping him before he passed away. It was not easy and I had no choice but to take over his work of planting vegetables to support my family,” she said.
The mother-of-seven, whose children are now aged between 20 and 40, has 15 grandchildren.
Salmiah sells laksa and other traditional dishes, while also taking catering orders.
She said she received RM1,000 from the state government and PWDC to start a small business.
Ong Guek Young, 53, said she was a housewife when she divorced 10 years ago.
“It was hard raising two teenage daughters alone when I had never worked,” she said.
Ong started her home-based business selling handmade giftboxes and received a little grant from PWDC to promote her small business.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state would continue to support single mothers, who were taking their first entrepreneurship steps, by providing guidance, training and assistance to help them expand their businesses.
He said such initiatives were important as many of the participants had ideas and skills, but required support to grow further.
“We can assist them in various ways, including through PWDC,” he said during a press conference after the “Jelajah CM Chow event in Permatang Kebun Sireh, Bukit Mertajam.
Chow said the programme served as a platform for budding entrepreneurs, particularly those who were skilled in cooking, producing souvenirs and making traditional snacks.
“Among the participants today, some have started receiving orders despite operating mainly from home.
“One of them has reached a stage where she is confident enough to move to the next level and is seeking assistance to find a suitable premises, including possible incentives for rental and other support,” said Chow.
He said this showed that small-scale entrepreneurs could progress after gaining experience, building a customer base and increasing demand for their products.
He also highlighted the availability of facilities such as the central kitchen operated by the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority.
He said participants could undergo a programme at the central kitchen, where they would use halal-certified facilities to prepare their products, enabling them to obtain halal certification.
“However, such programmes are only suitable for a certain period.
“After that, they need to become more independent,” Chow added.
Several hundred women have benefitted from various empowerment programmes by the PWDC this year, with the state government pledging to continue expanding its efforts to support more women entrepreneurs.
Penang social development and non-Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said initiatives such as Wanita Jana Rezeki and Penang Women Entrepreneurs Mentoring Programme had provided women, especially single mothers, with grants, incentives and assistance to strengthen their businesses.
“These programmes are aimed at empowering women by helping them improve various aspects of their businesses, including marketing, packaging and labelling, so that their products can reach a wider market,” she said.
Lim added that the state remained committed to creating more opportunities for women to become financially independent through entrepreneurship and skills development programmes.
