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It’s a tough job, being a homemaker these days. Many housewives generally get stuck in a rut of cleaning, cooking, taking care of the kids, and doing other domestic chores with barely enough time for themselves to enjoy hobbies or perhaps even learn new skills that could empower them.
However, given the opportunity and resources, they could prove to be more talented than what meets the eye.
Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Malaysia), which is one of the largest express transportation companies, presented both by partnering with a homegrown community of cloth artisans called Komuniti Tukang Jahitan (KTJ).
For those wondering, KTJ is a social enterprise that empowers B40 women through sewing and upskilling.
How FedEx and KTJ empowered women in the B40 community
Wondering what to do with hundreds of retired uniforms, FedEx collaborated with KTJ to upcycle more than 500 old uniforms into handcrafted van pouches and recycling bags with the help of 30 women from the B40 community.
To be more specific, 545 uniforms including 362 shirts and 183 pants were upcycled into 1,500 FedEx van pouches and 2,000 foldable recycling bags.
This provided income to the home-based ladies who made them, while the initiative itself diverts textile waste from landfills.
Just look at how cute the van pouches are:
The FedEx van pouches were gifted to customers as well as some of their employees.
The people who made it happen, and the women who were empowered
TRP was given the opportunity to speak with some of the people behind this initiative, including Woon Tien Long, the Managing Director of FedEx Malaysia, Yap Sue Yii, the founder of KTJ, and KTJ artisans Noor Nafeda Che Ani and Suganthi Devi Narasiah.
Woon expressed how fulfilled he felt from being able to spread this message of empowerment through the initiative, and was happy that FedEx was able to provide the opportunity.
Meanwhile, Yap expressed her hopes in expanding KTJ beyond the Klang Valley so that it may empower even more communities in the future. According to her, KTJ now has around 70 to 80 artisans in its tight-knit community.
Suganthi and Nafeda on their FedEx and KTJ journeys
Speaking to the two artisans present at the interview, we learned that the collaboration had impacted both Suganthi and Nafeda in the best ways possible.
Suganthi shared how she discovered KTJ through social media during the pandemic. With no job at the time and without income for three months, she reached out to KTJ to express her interest. Soon after, she was contacted to do a “test” and was eventually asked to fill out an order which paid her RM200.
“Even though it was little, that RM200 meant a lot to me,” she told TRP.
Today, she makes a minimum of RM1,000 a month from sewing products.
Although she already knew how to sew, joining KTJ allowed her to learn new skills, such as design. Today, she has been a part of KTJ for two years and has become a trainer, elevating her from being just a housewife.
Nafeda on the other hand, used to work for a bridal gown company. She admitted that although she was paid more, there was no work-life balance, recounting times she had to work until midnight.
However, since she joined the KTJ community, Nafeda mentioned that it still felt like she had a “job” but with more time for herself and her family.
It’s all about time management and multitasking
When asked about how they manage to find time to sew, both Suganthi and Nafeda said it’s all about good time management, sewing during any free time they have in their day, and multitasking.
“We can sew while watching TV, listening to our kids, and chat with them all at the same time,” Nafeda said.
“I usually have free time in the morning after the kids go to school until about noon, so that’s when I do my sewing usually,” she added.
What do they do with their earnings?
According to Nafeda, the ladies in KTJ tend to save up their earnings for a variety of things such as for a holiday with their families, shopping, or even investing.
Earning their own money through sewing products is just one way they get empowered.
KTJ’s beneficiaries are not restricted to projects with the enterprise, but are also given opportunities to learn how to make their own sales independently, equipping them with the skills to grow even further.
If you’re interested in KTJ’s artisan products, they have an online shop you can explore to see if anything tickles your fancy.
Personally, we think you should check out their Kopitiam series – a collection of handmade pouches featuring local delights such as teh tarik, roti canai, cendol, kuih-kuih, and more.
By providing sewing training and flexible job placements, KTJ enables women – particularly single mothers, single women, stay-at-home moms, and members of the disabled community (OKU) – to earn a sustainable income from home with the goal of supporting financial independence and long-term sustainability, while preserving dignity and work-life balance for women from undeserved backgrounds.
Find out more about KTJ on their official website HERE.
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