Women empowered through skills and awareness programs

BETONG, 25 September: Sarawak Department of Women and Families (JWKS) continues to empower women through the implementation of various awareness-raising programs, skills development and self-building to improve women's wellbeing and family institutions in Sarawak.

JWKS Assistant Director General, Un Siew Yien said among the focus of the department is a family institution development program covering parenting, post-marriage, family management and basic family care courses.

He said social support and advocacy programmes were also implemented to raise public awareness of issues affecting women and families, including domestic violence (DVT), online fraud and aspects of family security.

"We have a programme to raise awareness of the issue of domestic violence, including actions that should be taken in case it occurs and referral agencies", he said when interviewed by Sarawakku Sayang Program (SKS) Betong.

In an effort to increase the economic capacity of women, she said, JWKS also offers Women's Skills Training (WST) which includes a range of skills training including sewing, culinary, sequencing and beauty.

The program is implemented not only at the JWKS headquarters in Kuching, but also through seven Self- and Family Care Centres (PJDK) at several locations in Sarawak.

Various training modules are offered throughout the year with participation for each module usually limited to about 20 to 25 participants.

According to the UN, participants do not have to provide their own equipment or materials as the requirements throughout training are provided through funding from the Sarawak Government.

"If you're interested, just sign up. Participants can take a stitching training course and after finishing, the resulting product can be taken home.

"You don't have to bring anything because everything is being funded by the Sarawak Government", he said.

In addition to skills training, JWKS also implemented the Women at Work programme in collaboration with various agencies including the Employee Savings Fund (KWSP) as well as those offering employment opportunities.

The program provides opportunities for women who want to return or enter the job market to get career information, as well as the opportunity to conduct direct interviews with the employer involved.

At the same time, assistance is also available to women who are head of households and run businesses to generate family income, including those running small businesses from home or online, subject to certain conditions.

JWKS also provides grants to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for implementing programmes that benefit women and families, as well as strengthening aspects of women leadership through leadership development programmes including among younger generations.

The public interested in joining the programme or applying for assistance can obtain further information on terms, schedules and application methods through the official JWKS channel.

In addition, the public can also come to JWKS street in Sarawak Pavilion located at the Concrete Sports Complex to learn more about the initiatives and programs provided.