FINE PIECE OF WORK: Esah (right) shows her product to (from left) Dr Margaret Kobia (event speaker from Kenya), Hamilton and Zahra during the visit to Kampung Meranek yesterday. — Photo by Chimon Upon
EDUCATIONAL VISIT: Visitors looking for souvenirs to buy during their visit to Kampung Tanjung Bondong. The occasion was an educational outing to Kampung Meranek and Tanjung Bundong by members of Commonwealth Associations for Public Administration and Management (Capam) in conjunction with the just concluded Capam Regional Forum held in Kuching since Oct 27. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KOTA SAMARAHAN: Various government programmes to improve the socio-economic status of low income households impressed president of the Commonwealth Associations for Public Administration and Management (Capam), Paul Zahra.
“Malaysia has an excellent programme which I think Capam delegates can learn from and apply in their own countries,” he said.
They made educational visits to two government transformation programme (GTP) projects at Kampung Meranek and Kampung Tanjung Bundong here yesterday.
“Through this visit we were able to see for ourselves concrete evidence of how the Malaysian government and Sarawak in particular are trying to improve the living status of people in the lower income group.
“These models, I believe are relevant to the delegates in today’s learning tour and when they go back to their own countries, they can replicate the experience,” he told The Borneo Post.
The visit here was part of their learning trips held in conjunction with the just concluded Capam Regional Forum 2013 held in Kuching since Oct 27.
Earlier the delegates attended an exhibition on the progress of Sarawak since independence at Sarawak Tourism Complex, Kuching and witnessed the Capam Regional Forum 2013 tree-planting ceremony.
Led by Zahra and Capam CEO Gay Hamilton, the delegates visited Esah Drahim’s tailoring project at Kampung Meranek.
Esah, a widow, is one of 1,590 recipients of projects under the GTP in Samarahan division.
Her basic source of income was from tailoring and she previously earned less than RM250 a month.
Her monthly income increased to RM500-RM700 per month after she became a recipient of the GTP in 2012 where she received assistance in the form of sewing machines, tailoring table, iron and related items.
The next venue visited by the 40-member Capam delegates was a small scale commercial project implemented by the Department of Agriculture Sarawak.
Project participant Dayang Faridah Abang Kusairi started small scale food processing many years ago, with assistance in kind from the Integrated Agriculture Development Area (IADA) in 2007.
The state Agriculture Department has also assisted with machinery and other items besides helping her improve the quality and quantity of her food product since 2010.
She obtained the halal certificate in 2011 and since then the product is in demand in the peninsula and countries like Indonesia and Singapore.
The total sale for the year up to September 2013 was RM174,000 with nett income of RM86,000, increased by many fold.
Among those present to welcome the visitors yesterday were Samarahan Resident Abang Ahmad Sebli, Samarahan divisional agriculture officer Rabiatul Adawiyah Abdullah, staff from various government departments and agencies together with locals.