SUBANG JAYA, 21 Oct: The step by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) to have the Urban Poverty Eradication (PKB) programme showed a positive development when s study found that the average income of the programme’s participants increased.
MPSJ found that the average income of the participants increased to RM1,153 compared to about RM793 per month prior to joining the programme.
Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the programme should be continued and emulated by other Local Authorities, thus increasing the quality of life and education of participants.
“This effort should be emulated by other local authorities because we must find a way to help them increase revenues; for example, single mothers. Children of every local authority participant should be monitored so that they are properly educated,” said Abdul Khalid at the MPSJ Urban Community Wellbeing 2013 Award Ceremony here at Sunway Hotel Resort & Spa yesterday.
The PKB programme involved coaching classes and skills training to help residents of MPSJ to improve their family’s side income by selling items that can be manufactured on a small scale but have a positive impact on them.
Among the training provided were sewing workshops, beading, making decorative food covers, repairing computers, jambu (water apple) entrepreneurs, making cupcakes, cakes and bread, and a Back To School Programme.
In 2009, MPSJ allocated RM100,000 to implement the programme and the amount has been added to RM300,000 since 2010.
At the same ceremony, a beading business operator, Noor Ashikin Ramli and a decorative food cover entrepreneur, Rabitah Yusuf, were awarded the MPSJ Urban Community Wellbeing 2013 Award.
Noor Ashikin said the beading workshop was beneficial in diversifying attractive stitching, thus attracting customers to purchase.
Meanwhile, Rabitah said she did not think that the decorative food cover business she operated on a small scale could generate a decent income for her family.
Contributions in forms of daily necessities worth RM100, given to 20 orphans, single mothers and the needy was also held at the event.
