KOTA KINABALU: Self sufficiency among rural folks is being promoted by Yayasan Islam through its women’s section.
Led by Datin Zaleha Abdullah, this programme hoped to inform and educate rural folks especially the needy to be able to provide for themselves independently without help from others.
According to her, they did provide monetary assistance as well as food baskets to those who were really in need of help.
“We have helped to build suraus and assisted some people who needed house repairs,” she shared adding they were very concerned with the welfare and general well being of the people, and extend assistance to people regardless of religious background.
“However, we also try to inform and educate them on self-sufficiency. If they have a piece of land, we inform them of the benefit of planting food plants; vegetables and yams for instance. This will allow them to consume food planted by themselves and not buy everything,” she said.
According to her, she also encouraged the women folks to embark on small businesses that could earn them some income.
“For instance, those who can make cakes can embark on cake making to sell. Those who can cut hair can operate a mobile service who can visit their clients, which can include those who use hair cover, homebound individuals or senior citizen who would rather have their hair cuts at home.”
On donations to Yayasan Islam, she said they were very appreciative of generous members of the public who wished to extend a helping hand to ensure that their good work would be perpetuated.
“We have generous people who help us in our endeavours and we hope that more will come forward. I however hope that our generous contributors will inform us if their donations are under zakat or general donations. As we all know the former can only be accorded to a certain group of people.”
She shared that they also helped in disseminating religious books and education to Muslims in the rural area as well as building places of worship for them.
Yayasan Islam, headed by its President Tan Sri Harris Salleh is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused on helping the needy; usually orphans, single parents and the impoverished, most of whom came into their attention through personal information as well as from the Welfare Department.-BNN
