KEMAS Nurtures Young Talent, Empowers Women In Sabah

By Rohana Nasrah

KENINGAU, Aug 30 (Bernama) -- From nurturing courage and confidence in young children to equipping mothers with skills to earn an income, the Community Development Department (KEMAS) continues to touch lives across generations and make a difference in communities.

KEMAS continues to empower families and communities across Sabah by nurturing confidence in young children and equipping adults with skills to generate income.

The stories of six-year-old conductor Mohd Zulfahrezal Mohd Izzat and Anne Albert, 52, who now earns an income through weaving, beadwork and sewing, illustrate how KEMAS brings its efforts closer to the community by creating opportunities that contribute to people’s well-being.

Mohd Zulfahrezal was among 275 children from KEMAS preschools across six zones who gathered at the Keningau Sports Complex to showcase their talents and vie for the opportunity to represent Sabah at the national level in October.

The programme provided a platform for the children to build confidence, develop their skills and realise their potential in conjunction with the spirit of the 2026 National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations (HKHM), themed “Malaysia MADANI: Kesejahteraan Dinikmati”. 

Mohd Zulfahrezal confidently stepped up as conductor for the 10-minute choral speaking performance, despite admitting that he was nervous throughout.

“It was fun. When I enter primary school, I want to take part in activities like this again because they are interesting and I get to be with my friends,” he told Bernama after the performance at the recent state-level Alpha Gen Talent@KEMAS programme.

KEMAS preschool teacher Nurhayati Lahanno, 45, said exposure to such activities helped children become more mature, independent, cooperative and confident, while KEMAS preschool teacher at Kampung Kikiran here, Melissa Saidin, 37, said she had seen a marked improvement in her pupils’ confidence and courage.

Meanwhile, Sabah KEMAS director Ahmad Fakhrul Azman Muhammad Radzi said the development of five- and six-year-olds should not focus solely on academics, but should also encompass character and personality development.

He said the Alpha Gen Talent@KEMAS programme, which continues the KEMAS Potential Day programme that has been held for more than 20 years, provides children with opportunities to develop their potential through various activities, including futsal, netball, athletics, Huffaz Cilik, choral speaking, Digital Hero and e-sports.

For Anne, what began with a WhatsApp status has since grown into a source of income, with the 52-year-old now earning between RM700 and RM800 a month from the weaving, beadwork and sewing skills she has acquired through KEMAS skills classes since 2023.

The Kampung Bingkor, Keningau native initially joined the classes simply to learn new skills, but her handiwork soon began attracting orders from family and friends, before reaching customers, including those in the peninsula.

Similarly, Norfaezah Ghani, 41, began learning traditional beadwork as a hobby early this year before receiving orders after sharing her creations on WhatsApp. She now earns an average of RM450 a month from selling traditional beadwork.

“At first, it was just a hobby, but after I shared photos of my beadwork on WhatsApp, many people became interested and started placing orders. That was when I realised that this craft could also generate an income,” she said.

Ahmad Fakhrul Azman said skills such as cooking, sewing and handicrafts not only enhance people’s capabilities but also open up opportunities for them to earn an income.

He added that Sabah KEMAS currently has 8,000 skills-training participants and 240 skills instructors.

-- BERNAMA