NEWLY divorced and with three children between the ages of one and 13, life was not easy for Siti Aida.

She moved to the PPR flats in Batu Muda, Jalan Ipoh, in 2008 from another public housing project in Sentul and found that her regular clientele for her tailoring work had dried up.

“Many of my clients didn’t know I had moved here and with more people preferring to buy their clothes instead of tailoring, I had no more business,” said the 50-year-old.

She took up learning to make traditional cakes to sell at the Batu Muda flats instead, but the income was low and unpredictable, between RM800 and RM1,000 a month.

Now, dressed in a chef’s white uniform, Siti Aida smiles proudly as she stands in a new community kitchen set up at the PPR Batu Muda flats three months ago.

She is one of 10 women bakers from the B40 category of households who earn less than RM2,500 a month, selected to join the pilot community kitchen by the non-profit group, Women of Will (WoW).

Life is beginning to look up for Siti Aida, who learns baking skills as well as a few other pointers on running a commercial kitchen, marketing and selling her baked goods.

Here, she learns how to bake cookies and market them to corporate bodies during the festive season. The community kitchen also plans to supply companies with healthier snacks for their employees’ pantries.

Unlike other community kitchens, WoW is aimed at helping women from B40 households on how to raise their incomes by baking.

The women are screened carefully before they are sent for foundation training, food handling and inventory modules. During the training phase, the women are paid an hourly wage. 

Besides the training, WoW helps the community kitchen by marketing the products to companies.

For this Raya season alone, this 10-baker pilot community kitchen baked 22,500 cookies for 800 hamper orders.

“Here, we learn how to bake commercially and then sell them to companies. Commercial baking is very different from home baking.

“The hours are flexible and I can work here without spending money on travelling,” said Siti Aida, who lives in one of the 2,100 units in PPR Batu Muda.

She still earns about RM1,000 a month but being able to be close to home and not having to spend on commuting are plus points.

Her three children are now 12, 18 and 24 respectively, but the single mother still has to support the two younger ones.

“My youngest son is still schooling. I’m also not sure what I can do with my 18-year-old daughter who is partially blind.”

Siti Aida still sells the traditional kuih she makes on her own and then comes to work in the community kitchen.

“I can still sell my kuih in the morning and come here after that,” she said, pleased at the opportunity to earn more than she otherwise would.

For Nor Shuhadah Nasaruddin, 33, the community kitchen is her chance to raise her household income while taking care of her two sons, aged eight and three.

“My husband is a labourer who earns less than RM2,000 a month. With five (including a 76-year-old grandmother) to feed, the money is never enough.

“Although, I help out by selling crockery on the PPR’s Facebook page, I can only earn around RM100-RM300 commission,” said Shuhadah.

The WoW community kitchen is God-sent for her family, she said.

“I can send my son to school in the morning and work a few hours before he comes back for lunch. After that, he goes for religious classes and I can work here again,” said Shuhada, who puts in six hours a day at the kitchen.

She said it is a stable income and a chance to pick up new skills, too.

“I’m not sure how long this will last but the skill I learn here will stay with me forever.” – June 5, 2019.