The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Home participants enjoy extra income with songket weaving Posted: 08 Jan 2014 11:45 PM PST Suri@home, a programme under the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) which is aimed at increasing income of housewives, has given positive impact for 10 of its participants. ECERDC chief executive officer Datuk Jebasingam Issace John said the programmes focused on songket weaving for participants, who included single mothers. "We are satisfied with the performance of the 10 participants involved because they have shown remarkable improvement in their income and this indirectly, also helps to promote the songket industry in Terengganu. "It is hoped that this programme will be able to bring them out of the poverty line and help them to become entrepreneurs, hence providing employment opportunities for others," he told Bernama here recently. He said the participants, who were making only RM500 a month previously, were now earning between RM1,000 and RM2,000 a month for each Songket. The participants for the programme are identified by the Terengganu Family Development Foundation, he added. One of the participants, Tuan Zaleha Tuan Abdullah, from Chendering, said previously, she was only paid RM500 for a piece of songket that she weaved. "The job is tiring and does not commensurate with the amount I was paid for, but that was my only source of income then because I did not know how to sell the product and could only work for the songket boutique owners. "However, now it all depends on how many pieces I am able to weave to meet orders from customers," she said. Another participant, Lizawaty Mamat who has three children said the programme was apt, especially for women with young children like her. "I have three children. My husband is self-employed and does odd jobs in the village. With my skill in songket weaving, I was offered to participate in the programme and have been able to earn between RM2,000 and RM2,300 a month," she added. Under the programme, there is a buyback guarantee scheme for participants which is provided by a batik and songket company, Fadhizan Store. Fadhizan Store owner, Fadhilah Muda, said the company provides a start-up capital of between RM5,000 and RM10,000 to participants, depending on their needs, and also provided them with the weaving machine, cloth and thread. "I want to be part of this programme because I want to share what I have earned with others. I am able to sell songket, but do not have the time to weave them and through this Suri@Home programmes, it provides a win-win situation for the company and participants," she added. Fadhizan Store has four outlets, two at Pasar Payang and the other two at Kota Batik, near Kubang Jela. – Bernama, December 9, 2013. |
| At one year, South Korean babies get gilded parties Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:51 PM PST The first birthday, or "doljanchi", is now an event where affluent parents in one of the world's richest countries flaunt their wealth, connections and even their offspring's gilded career prospects at lavish parties. At one party in Apgujeong, dubbed the Beverly Hills of Seoul, one-year-old Dot-byul peered down at a tray of items symbolising various professions – including a stethoscope for a doctor, a judge's gavel and a microphone. Dressed in a white princess gown with every moment captured by a professional photographer, she paused for a gurgle and then wrapped her tiny hands around a golf ball, in a gesture seen as signifying that she will grow up to be a golfer. "We can hold low-key celebrations for her second, third and future birthdays, but for the very first I wanted to throw this party to show Dot-byul that everyone came here today to bless her," said her mother Kim Jae-yeon, whose husband runs an information technology business. The trappings of Dot-byul's party were typical. A slide show and a decorated "photo table" with framed pictures chronicled her young life. Another table, adorned with flowers and candles, featured a three-tier cake. Guests gave packets of money, as they would at a wedding, and received gift bags packaged with the baby's picture and boxes of tea. Gift bags at first birthday events can contain mugs, rice, towels, candles or other items. Parents devote considerable thought to the gifts to differentiate their party from others. Although starvation is no longer a threat, children have become precious commodities in another sense. As fewer South Koreans marry and more women pursue careers, the birthrate in this Asian country has plummeted. The average number of babies born per woman fell to 1.23 in 2010 from 4.53 in 1970, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. That was the lowest rate among rich countries listed by the OECD. "People these days attach a greater meaning to 'dol' because they do not give birth to a lot of children," said Jung Ji-hyon, who threw a traditional banquet for her baby boy. Other parents choose Western-style celebrations. The more lavish, the better. "I will only have two kids at most and I want to do everything I can do for them. I would feel terrible to see my daughter feel inferior to her peers," said Jennifer Song, a 28-year-old housewife who is pregnant with her second child. Song said planning for a "dol" ceremony was more stressful than for a wedding, another tradition that has become a huge financial burden for young South Koreans. In 2012, Song paid 10 million won (RM30,770) for her first born's "dol" at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul, and is already planning the party for her next child. "As soon as I learned of my pregnancy, I called the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, which is known for its outdoor celebrations, to reserve a place, but they put me on a waiting list," she said. There is now a cottage industry to tap into the money spent on the first birthday celebrations. In 2010, Kim Eun-hee started a "dol" planning business because she saw a commercial opportunity, but also because she regretted not having a sufficiently lavish event for her child. "I prepare luxurious parties for the babies of my clients, but I threw a humble one for my own daughter," Kim said. "I did not even hire a photographer back then. It hurt me when she saw me sifting through the pictures I took of other babies and asked me why she has no photos." - Reuters, January 9, 2014. |
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