6 June 2007

MESSAGE TO FRIENDS OF eHOMEMAKERS FROM CHONG SHEAU CHING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Ten years ago, I had a dream.

I dreamt of creating a people-to-people movement where the average person helps another without expecting anything in return.

So I founded ‘Mothers for Mothers’, the parent network of eHomemakers, to promote working @ home. We created a ripple effect, unseen in Malaysia before. There were mothers volunteering to organize conferences so that other mothers could attend the event and working @ home mothers shared and wrote about their experiences so others could learn.   

The dynamic energy of the volunteer mothers spurred me on to initiate more activities for mothers. We built a website for ourselves, organized more conferences for mothers and wrote a book “Working@ Home - A guide book for Working Mothers and Homemakers” in four languages.

Little did I know then that, years later, eHomemakers would become a network of men and women, with the same vision about work life balance and the mission to help the disadvantaged. Our network has become a people mover, a carrier for people who want to contribute to society.

The mix of energy, talents and skills among our members and supporters was dynamically displayed at the recent Mother’s Day award ceremony, sponsored by Nestlé, on May 19 where we gave prizes to ten mothers who have been taking care of children not biologically their own.   

One of our anonymous donors for women in the UP project was so touched after listening to Pastor Brigette, the first prize winner’s speech, that he wrote a check for the Home she has created for abandoned children and the elderly. The donor said to me, “Mothers are a special group of individuals. Rich or poor, all their middle names are ‘hardship and pain.’ I wish I had their strength and ability to fight pain.”

As I look back to the month of May, I smile. It has been a month of blessings, a month where people-to-people ripples spread. For example, a group of salaried mothers, led by Anny Lim, donated over RM3000 worth of food and also six months of internet connection to seven of the poorest mothers who need it to be able to do database entry. 

She humbly said, “Since communicating with you on helping these women, I have been so conscious of how I spend my money. Every time I have a nice meal outside, I think of how poor others are and that they do not even have food on their table. It helps me to be a better person and appreciate life more with what has been given to me. We’re really doing God's work.”

I am positive that many more angels will continue to help those who are determined to stand up on their own. And I hope you will read this story and wish that many more women will one day, tell such gratifying human stories to the world!

Winners of “Special Moms Unite!” Contest 2007 Honoured
eHomemakers paid tribute to mothers who work with orphans and abandoned children at a Mother’s Day High-Tea on May 19, 2007. The event, which was organised together with Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad, celebrated the achievements of the winners of the “Special Moms Unite!” Contest 2007.

In her welcoming speech, Chong Sheau Ching, Executive Director of eHomemakers, quoted Mother Theresa: “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved. The biggest disease today is not leprosy or TB, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.”

The eHomemakers network and Nestlé Malaysia have been organising special Mother’s Day contests annually for the past five years. Previous contests honoured mothers who worked from home, mothers who contributed significantly towards environment conservation, teleworking mothers, physically challenged mothers and mothers living with chronic illnesses.

eHomemakers Collaborates With Ministry To Publish Working @ Home Guidebook  

The Women, Family and Community Development Minister, YB Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil launched the “Buku Panduan Pejabat@Rumah” on May 22, 2007 at the Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur.

This work from home guidebook (written in Bahasa Malaysia) is published by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development with the support and collaboration of eHomemakers and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. eHomemakers worked on the research, concept and book content for three years.

At the launch, the Ministry invited three eHomemakers members, who are also successful homepreneurs, to be the panelists of a working @ home Forum. Katherine Yip, Sunitha Bisan Gunasegaran and Dayang Lily shared their inspiring success stories and offered practical and useful tips for running a home-based business and working @ home.

eHomemakers Welcomes Two New Interns from the Advocacy Project
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Mariko Scavone and Julia Hanah Zoo, our interns from the Advocacy Project (AP).

Mariko will be focusing on the Eco-Basket project and will be involved in restructuring www.justmarketing.info to reach an international market. She is doing a Master’s degree in International Relations at the Georgetown University and will spend this summer in Malaysia.

Julia Hanah Zoo will help eHomemakers prepare for the upcoming GK3 in December 2007, drafting and editing position papers and assisting planning for panel sessions. She recently graduated from New York University with a Masters' degree in International Public Policy and will be staying in Malaysia for six months.  

We are deeply indebted to the Advocacy Project for their support and take this opportunity to quote Stacy Kosko, Deputy Director and Fellowship Coordinator of AP:

"We just need to keep reminding ourselves that we're all on the same side and that we all care about each other as individuals and as organizations. It's a long road to help women gain empowerment and sometimes we'll need to take turns carrying each other. We're just grateful we have such good company along the way."

XL Results Foundation Joins eHomemakers “To Spread The Ripples”
XL Results Foundation, the world’s leading entrepreneur and social enterprise network, has ordered 100 Eco-Baskets from Salaam Wanita.

On Global Happiness Day, July 7, XL Malaysia (XL stands for Extraordinary Lives) will visit the children’s ward in three hospitals where they will host a party. To bring cheer to the children, the party will include “balloons, clowns, games and gifts”. They will also present Eco-Baskets containing TLC (The Truly Loving Company Sdn Bhd) products to the families of the children.

“The purchase of the baskets will help the single mothers with disabled kids, and the products from TLC will help the charities they support”, said Jackie Wong of XL Malaysia.   

XL Malaysia invites volunteers for their Global Happiness Day hospital visits. Please contact jackie.invest@gmail.com by July 1, 2007.

Thank you, XL Malaysia, and all the individuals and organizations that have contributed to our community network.

eHomemakers, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a social enterprise network dedicated to economic empowerment through training, research, information sharing and advocacy. Founded in May 1998, the network promotes the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to its active network of 13,000 home workers, home-based entrepreneurs and homemakers, while carrying out corporate social responsibility activities to bridge the digital divide and help the disadvantaged. eHomemakers' Salaam Wanita pilot project provides specialized training in technology, specific skills and micro business, as well as marketing services and personal support to a select group of women.

To find out more about the UP programme, contact Peck Lin at research@ehomemakers.net

For additional information on Salaam Wanita, contact Philo at adminehomemakers@ehomemakers.net

For all other enquiries, contact Chong Sheau Ching at scchong@ehomemakers.net

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