Azizah (standing first row, ninth left) with the women volunteers of the Home Help Service program yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 100 unsung heroines of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) attended the Home Help Service (KBDR) Empowerment Seminar here, yesterday.
Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun said the volunteers from the Sabah and Labuan Social Welfare Department (JKM) and Sabah Welfare Department would play a role in raising the quality of services to senior citizens and persons with disabilities (OKU).
JKM has a total of 2,242 home help volunteers assisting 7,714 people (6,117 senior citizens and 1,597 OKU) throughout Malaysia so far, she said.
In Sabah, Azizah said 159 volunteers were assisting 468 senior citizens and 136 OKUs.
She said the government introduced the initiatives that included helping the clients to feel included and respected, as well as encouraging senior citizens and OKUs to stay at home in order to live in a loving family and community environment.
“The service scope of the Home Help workers is to provide a cluster of services including preparing food and drinks, self cleaning, chat partner, housekeeping, visiting places of worship, buying daily necessities, providing physiotherapy services, offering counselling services, assisting in bill payments, helping them to hospitals and clinics, and appropriate assistance for clients,” said Azizah when officiating at the third series of Sabah and Labuan seminar at Likas Sports Complex, yesterday.
“Indeed, these assignments are pure and not just any individual who are willing and able to assume (can) carry out these responsibilities.
“Hence, your every suggestion in this seminar will be reviewed and used as a base by the department to improve the delivery quality of the program,” she told the volunteers whom she dubbed as ‘KPWKM Unsung Heroines’.
Sabah Welfare Services director Mohamad Noor Wahab said the seminar was a platform to discuss and share experiences as well as ideas so the program could remain relevant and move forward with the times.
“As of July 2017, the number of JKM volunteers running the Home Help Program is 110 and involves 433 OKU clients and senior citizens from 12 districts such as Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Tawau, Sandakan, Beaufort, Kota Marudu, Telupid, Kinabatangan, Sook, Sipitang, Lahad Datu and Ranau.
“The expenses under the Home Help Program for January to June 2017 alone amounted to RM179,838. The projection for July to December 2017 is RM175,383,” said Mohamad Noor.
He said an addition to the JKM volunteer quota for the Home Help Program was also required as only 12 out of 32 districts in Sabah are serviced thus far.
“Throughout January to July 2017, the number of volunteers in the state were 627 people.
“The involvement of the volunteers is more focused on activities in flood or fire disaster relief centers as well as various village and district level activities,” he added at the seminar launch.
Malaysia Social Welfare Department (JKM) director general Dato Zulkiply Ramli and JKM Community Division director Azmi Abd Karim were also at the ceremony.