NADI HELPS HOUSEWIVES UNLOCK THEIR ENTREPRENEURIAL POTENTIAL

By Noorazlina Jindeh

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- The establishment of the National Information Dissemination Centre (NADI) in Sabah has provided housewives with opportunities to gain knowledge, particularly in entrepreneurship, and contribute to their family’s income.

Rafidah Dzulkiflee, 46, told Bernama that she initially joined a friend at the centre located at the Taman Sri Rugading People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Tuaran in 2017, where they were introduced to product digitalisation.

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With no prior knowledge of digital tools, she was excited to learn how to market products both online and offline and how to brand them effectively.

“Coincidentally, my family had been producing prawn spring rolls, which were sold only during festive seasons. Through NADI, I saw the potential to commercialise the product.

“Now, I produce mini prawn spring rolls with the help of four workers, using my own recipe for the filling,” said the mother of five.

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Rafidah added that the mini prawn spring rolls, sold online and at Petronas and Shell petrol stations at prices ranging from RM8 to RM38 depending on weight and size, have received an overwhelming response, including from customers in Brunei.

Another housewife Suzinah Sulid, 41, began producing pineapple juice in 2018, thanks to guidance from NADI in Pekan Puterajaya, which she first joined in 2007 for better internet access.

She said her interest in the entrepreneurship courses offered by NADI led her to participate and eventually create her own products, including kerepek kentang and sambal lada udang.

“I became actively involved with NADI in 2018. The courses offered, such as selling on Shopee and TikTok, designing labels and online classes, have been very helpful,” she said.

Suzinah said her second product, sambal lada udang, was created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when his brother’s farm in Kota Belud faced a surplus of chillies that could not be sold.

To avoid waste, she turned the surplus chillies into a product that could generate income. She introduced her latest product, kerepek kentang, last year.

“NADI has been incredibly helpful. From having no products to learning about branding and label design, I gained all this knowledge at the centre,” she said.

For Edithsia Pius, 31, despite being unmarried, her embroidery skills, which she learned through YouTube in 2012, and her participation in NADI at Kampung Nosoob in Penampang have turned into a successful income-generating activity.

She explained that NADI offers many benefits, including various skill-building courses and updates on sales and exhibition opportunities for members to participate in.

“I create these crafts myself, mostly dolls in the form of rabbits, wolves and squids, along with hats, clothes and keychains, which are sold for prices ranging from RM3 to RM130,” she said, adding that she receives keychain orders from schools and as door gifts for weddings.

Meanwhile, Felix Joinsis, 52, said he and his wife, Mary Gimpi, 50, were introduced to NADI by friends before participating in the exhibition at Luyang NADI, which has been operational since Oct 18.

He said prior to that, they had already been producing their own products, including dyeing shirts using imported powder and creating hats, handcrafted keychains and bags.

-- BERNAMA