NADI COMMUNITY CRAFT ENTREPRENEURS FLOURISH AT SELANGOR'S KITA MADANI CARNIVAL

KUALA SELANGOR, June 30 (Bernama) -- Starting with crocheting shoes for her first granddaughter due to the high market price of such shoes, a housewife certainly did not expect the art of crochet could generate a four-figure monthly income.

Paridah Abu, 62, said her participation as a craft entrepreneur under the National Information Dissemination Centre (NADI) Kampung Batu 19 Jeram, Kuala Selangor, to enhance her skills and creativity over the past 10 years has allowed her to earn additional income through the craft she has mastered since her teenage years.

The mother of three said she can crochet various products, including baby shoes, keychains, hats, handbags and wallets, which can sell for up to RM300 per piece or unit.

Besides selling at her workshop located at her home in Kampung Sungai Sembilan, Jeram, Kuala Selangor, these products are also marketed at sales programmes or carnivals organised by government departments and agencies due to a high demand.

"If I sell online or at home, I can earn around RM1,500 a month, but when NADI tookm me in as their entrepreneur to programmes like these carnivals, I can generate sales of up to RM3,500 per event."

"Being a NADI entrepreneur has been completely beneficial because they don't just assist with filling out forms; the knowledge available at NADI is extensive, and young people should explore these opportunities," she told Bernama at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) booth at the Kita MADANI Selangor Carnival here today.

In addition to marketing and entrepreneurship classes, Paridah stated that through NADI, she had gained creative skills, learning from social media platforms like Pinterest to inspire new crochet products.

For entrepreneurs like Fauziah Masud, 44, who has been selling brooches for nearly four months, NADI Taman Saujana Utama has been instrumental in providing information and skill for selling through e-commerce platforms.

She said that newcomers to entrepreneurship are also offered introductory classes or courses to understand the intricacies of business and are guided in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

"We often think of NADI as a place to use computers and print documents, but various entrepreneurship courses are organised here, and the community at all levels should take advantage of the opportunities provided by the government to generate income and transform lives," she said.

The housewife shared that being given the opportunity to trade for the first time at the Kita MADANI Selangor Carnival by NADI for free, made her feel fortunate. She did not have to spend for renting a space and was able to earn more compared to online sales.

"Usually, I average about RM200 a day online, but here I can earn more than that. This is because events like this already have a ready made crowd; I just need to sharpen my skills in dealing with customers to convince them to buy my products.

"Alhamdulillah, so far many brooches have been sold. Just by midday today, I've already made over RM300. The same goes for yesterday. I hope I can continue to be given opportunities to participate in carnivals like this in the future," she said.

Visitor Nor Hafizah Zainol, 36, mentioned that the Advocacy Activity Click Wisely conducted at the MCMC booth also provided new knowledge for her as a mother regarding the latest information and the risks of Internet use, especially for children.

"Here, explanations are also provided regarding the threats of Internet use by officers on duty because we now use technology all the time without realising that what we share with others is personal data.

"Furthermore, interactive activities in the form of games are also provided for children to learn a little about how to use the Internet," she said.

Earlier, the two-day programme organised by the Department of Information Malaysia (JAPEN) Selangor, which began yesterday, brought together interactive exhibitions from various government departments and agencies, including the fire and rescue department, police, National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), as well as activities like #GengSubuhMacamJumaat and the Rahmah Ehsan Sales organised by the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation.

-- BERNAMA