Retiree sets up community centre to help generate income for villagers

KUALA NERANG: Empathising with the people in her village on their struggle to make a living, a government retiree set up a micro and small industry community centre as a platform for villagers, especially the young people in Kampung Lebai Seman, Naka here, to learn new skills.

Rosnah Musa, 51, who opted for early retirement after serving for 28 years in a government agency in Alor Setar, set up the centre in 2019.

"The villagers here are mostly rubber tappers and farmers with meagre income. I want to help them to earn better income and so, set up the centre, where, with the collaboration of various government agencies, organise skills courses and training.

" Among the skills courses offered at the centre are batik printing, painting, cooking and sewing," she added.

She said the centre also served as a collection centre for products produced by the villagers, including chips and crackers, frozen food and snacks, as well as the 'ikan pekasam', which are the distributed to a wider market. Rosnah said she received the assistance of various quarters in running the centre, especially Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), which often organized entrepreneurship courses, as well as in helping to promote products produced by the villagers.

"UUM also helps us to produce beautiful and attractive batik motifs, which are used for as design for men and women's clothing, as for other items, including bags. These products are sold at the centre and also online," she added.

Rosnah said so far, she had managed to help several villagers to generate side income by producing various products and hoped to see them become successful entrepreneurs.

"My late father always told me to help and do something for this village. That's why I set up this centre and it is built on the piece of land left by him," she added.

-- BERNAMA