Ministry rolling out special programme to empower girls later this year
KUALA LUMPUR: A special skills development programme for female students to equip them with practical skills will be rolled out later this year, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (pic).
The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said the programme is aimed at empowering girls with practical skills before they complete school.
“The goal is to help young girls build their skillsets and self-confidence early in life, giving them a higher chance to excel academically,” she said during her speech at the Rotary International Districts 3300 and 3310 conference here yesterday.
She said the programme is part of broader efforts to help women achieve financial independence in the future while also reducing social issues.
The programme, she added, will be managed by her ministry in collaboration with schools and district education offices.
On empowering women, Nancy lauded the efforts of the Rotary Club in helping women cope with the burden of being both their families’ primary caregivers and sole breadwinners.
While the ministry continues to provide assistance to such women, she said collaboration with NGOs remains crucial.
“The government cannot help these women effectively on its own.
“That is why community-driven empowerment initiatives are so important, such as those carried out by the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya,” she said.
Nancy cited the club’s 13-year SuperMum programme as complementing the ministry’s Program Kasih Ibu Tunggal by equipping single mothers with the skills needed to sustain themselves and their families.
She acknowledged that there are about one million women in Malaysia who are their families’ primary caregivers and sole breadwinners, with only a fraction registered under social support systems, either with the government or NGOs.
Meanwhile, Nancy said there is increasing demand for disability-related support for children, particularly those with autism.
She said the ministry is considering expanding support for families with autistic children through the establishment of autism centres in collaboration with NGOs.
She also highlighted the importance of volunteerism among Malaysians in supporting not only women but also broader social welfare programmes.
One such area in need of volunteers, she said, is the ministry’s Home Help Services programme, which provides care for elderly people or persons with disabilities living alone in their homes.
She added that the programme currently has only about 2,193 volunteers as of April this year.
