Fortunately, her mother recovered after much care: for Normah, however, it was difficult returning to the job market after her long leave of absence. Fortunately, in 2017, she was referred to Suri Lifestyle.
This Klang-based social enterprise aims to empower underprivileged/B40 mothers by training them in life skills like sewing. The centre is most known for salvaging and upcycling used denim into clothing and accessories.
Learning a new skill was not easy, but Normah got through with the support of the other trainees there.
“I’d never used a sewing machine before. Even looking at one made me scared, let alone stepping on the pedals! But I watched my friends learn to master it, and it inspired me to learn it too,” the bubbly Normah, 57, told FMT Lifestyle with a laugh.
Normah eventually completed her training programme at Suri Lifestyle, and her new skills helped bolster her income. To pay it forward, she returned to the centre to help out: she has been a trainer there for seven years now, helping others in a similar position as herself once.
Normah is just one of around 200 women who Suri Lifestyle has provided with training and financial opportunities since its genesis in 2016. The social enterprise was the brainchild of founder Salena Ahmad (popularly known as ‘Sally’), whose mission is to help single mothers in her community.
“I realised there were many other women out there like me, who were having financial and job problems. As I was a single mother myself, I knew what it was like to be in that position. Most of these other women didn’t have any skills, so they had problems with employment. I decided to do something about this,” Sally, 55, told FMT Lifestyle.
But possessing no specific skills herself, she did the next best thing and turned to the greatest teacher of the digital age: YouTube.
She watched up to four hours of sewing videos every day for three to four months, eager to learn all she could about the art of crafting clothes.
“As single mothers, we cannot have a mindset of always relying on help from others. We need to develop ourselves and learn to be independent,” Sally said.
Things accelerated for her when she participated in a start-up accelerator programme in Cyberjaya, organised by the Malaysian Global Creativity and Innovation Centre (MaGIC).
Her pitch for a social enterprise was accepted, and she was awarded a start-up grant. With this grant in hand, she leased a two-story building in Klang as her home and base of operations. In 2019, she upgraded to a proper centre in the same neighbourhood, where Suri Lifestyle now operates.
Most of the products created by the social enterprise are sold to companies, who use them as corporate gifts.
Today, Suri Lifestyle works with about 40 women, with Sally providing guidance alongside six other trainers.
The social enterprise recently opened its second branch in Langkawi. Due to the island’s vibrant hospitality industry, its focus is on upcycling hotel bed sheets.
Suri Lifestyle is firmly committed to sustainability, and has collaborated with several local companies on green campaigns.
Both part-time and full-time courses are available here, with the latter usually lasting about three to six months. Those who complete the training receive certification and are offered opportunities with the centre: they can also move on to further qualifications such as the Level 3 Malaysian Skills Certificate.
“It’s great to see the changes in them. It’s always nice to see these women learn new things and become ambitious, confident and skilled,” Sally said.
“And knowing you helped improve a family’s finances is very rewarding. Hearing our trainees say they can now afford to buy their children Hari Raya clothes, or have some extra money to spend, that’s really my biggest achievement.”
For more information on Suri Lifestyle, visit their website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.