The participants of the beauty therapy course.
PAPAR: There are 44,182 people categorised as poor and hardcore poor in Sabah.
According to State Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry’s chief assistant secretary (development), Maria David Edick, the ministry endeavors to help bring down the numbers through the Poverty Eradication Programme which was renamed in 2018 from Azam programme.
The objective of the programme is to provide opportunities for households in low-income groups to raise their income, she said at the closing ceremony of a Beauty Therapy Course at the Excellence Skill Academy here.
Maria said a total of 23,170 people have been trained under the programme.
The 11 participants, all women, are from the poor and hardcore poor groups which comprise 44,182 people in Sabah, she said.
She said the ministry hoped the participants would be able to raise the income of their families through utilizing the tools that have been given to them to help sustain their business operations.
One of the participants of the seven-day course, Nor Rafidah Awang said the course was beneficial for her, as it will enable her to earn additional income as a beauty therapist.
“Moreover, I have daughters who are keen on keeping beautiful,” the widow and mother of four said.
She added that one of the main subjects she learned from the course is the importance of skin care.
“I had never been attended such course before,” she said.
Shanim Epin, from Kota Belud ,expressed her gratitude to the ministry, saying the new skills she acquired from the course will enable her to earn more.
The mother of three said she has already received some bookings from her friends after they learned about her new skills.
Another widow, Dayang Attah, who sells chicken rice to earn a living in Beluran, said the course has opened her eyes on the possibility of the beauty industry.
“It is new knowledge for me,” said the mother of two grown up children, one of whom is working while the other is continuing his studies at a tertiary institution.
A total of 11 women from all around Sabah took part in the course.