PETALING JAYA, May 21 — Women from low-income backgrounds have found job security by sewing personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontliners tackling the Covid-19 pandemic in hospitals around Kuala Lumpur.
One seamstress, who wished to be known only as Fitria, was previously sewing gifts, apparel, and accessories made from hand-painted batik material for homegrown social enterprise Batik Boutique.
She quickly shifted her skills towards making reusable face masks and PPE sets after the movement control order (MCO) kicked in on March 18.
The PPE set consists of a cap, gown, and boots and retails for RM25 each on Batik Boutique and the AirAsia Foundation Destination: GOOD website.
With Fitria’s help, Batik Boutique has provided over 1,500 PPE sets to Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Selayang Hospital through individual and corporate sponsorships.
“Before this, I only saw people wearing PPE on the news on TV so it felt quite surreal to start sewing them myself.
“I’m happy that I can help and most of all, I’m very grateful that I still have a job during this period.
“Even though the situation is still difficult, I’m happy that I can continue working,” Fitria told Malay Mail.
Fitria previously earned her keep as a factory worker but was faced with pressing financial difficulties following her divorce in 2017.
She began sewing with Batik Boutique that same year after being introduced to the job by her younger sister, who was also a seamstress there at the time.
She’s one of the many women who have found financial independence by learning new skills through the training programmes at Batik Boutique, which teaches sewing to women living in people’s housing project (PPR) flats near its production centre.
Batik Boutique founder and chief executive officer Amy Blair said that the MCO has been extremely challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises, leading her to pivot their efforts towards making essential items such as PPE and face masks in order to stay afloat.
It was important for Blair to ensure that the women she employed would still be able to earn a living, especially after Batik Boutique was served a 24-hour notice to shut its shops and production centre right before the MCO started.
“All forms of cash flow were cut off overnight and I had to figure out a way to keep our people employed.
“Some of the beneficiaries we work with don’t necessarily have savings and if they do, it’s not going to last for very long.
“We had to operate in a way to make sure that everybody was eating and that their families would be okay.
“Once everyone was settled, I saw an opening for us to do something good and even if we can’t open our boutique and sell our normal gifts, accessories, and apparel, we can provide PPE for medical staff instead,” she said.
Batik Boutique’s team currently consists of 25 people who can produce up to 1,000 sets of PPE per week.
They’ve partnered up with other social enterprises like Biji-biji Initiative and Earth Heir to sew the protective gear and their collective production has surpassed 10,000 sets to date.
Batik Boutique seamstresses have also been stitching together reusable face masks using hand-painted batik material, offering a fashion-forward and environmentally-friendly way to cater to the current needs of consumers in the Covid-19 era.
The two-ply masks are made of 100 per cent cotton with straps that go around the head rather than around the ears, making it more comfortable to wear and more convenient to put on for those wearing a headscarf.
Blair said an innovative approach is crucial if businesses want to weather the economic challenges posed by the MCO and the global pandemic at large.
“As entrepreneurs, we need to be doing things to solve problems. That’s why we exist.
“Instead of sitting around and complaining about how much money we lost, we should be asking how we can contribute back.
“It’s about turning our ‘cannots’ into our ‘cans.’”
Through their partnership with AirAsia Foundation, Batik Boutique will also be supplying PPE for operational use by AirAsia staff to help them stay safe as they carry out their duties both in the air and on the ground.
The collaboration is on top of AirAsia Foundation’s other philanthropic efforts, including raising over RM170,000 in April to aid Orang Asli and Orang Asal communities, people without permanent shelter, migrant workers and refugees, and differently-abled individuals who have been hit the hardest by the MCO.
If you’re interested in purchasing reusable face masks or PPE sets from Batik Boutique, check out their products on AirAsia Foundation’s Destination: GOOD website.
