eHomemakers Malaysia

A favour that was offered to a friend turned out to be a heart-wrenching experience for me. It really made me think and ponder about life and humanity.     The 45-minute journey took me to a shanty wooden house, with missing wooden planks on its wall.      A fairly good wind could blow down such dilapidated structure any minute. After introducing myself, I asked permission to snap some photos for the record. The interior of the house proved how deprived the family’s life has been.      I stepped into the kitchen, hoping to find a fridge to store the milk supply I brought. I was relieved to spot a small fridge, with a surface rust, standing in the corner of the kitchen.      It was a 2-room house – the kitchen and the bedroom (cum living room). The back of the house doubled as En. Emran’s workshop. Being the sole breadwinner of the family, it was pretty difficult for him to make ends meet. ...

Singing, dancing, clapping, cheering, good food and above all inspiring stories made a terrific event celebrating rural moms. Moms from all parts of Malaysia were nominated for the RURAL CHAMPION MOMS UNITE 2010 and the winners represented many different cultural groups all with one common aim: to make Malaysia a better place for the less fortunate. The winners represented the many dedicated and inspiring moms who give not only to their families but also to their communities. A snapshot of all the hardworking mom winners is here. Women with 8 children, who still had time to give to their community, women with very little education yet helping others to learn, highly educated women giving their time freely not only in Malaysia but also in less well developed countries such as Cambodia, women keeping crafts and cultures alive, women who trekked through deep almost impenetrable jungle to reach long houses and promote literacy and education. Wow! Their stories were breathtaking. ...

eHomemakers recently entered a competition called " Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities & Economic Power " hosted by Ashoka's Changemakers (where I work). The project they pitched involves expanding mobile-banking services to rural women, which addresses a number of issues that this group faces: finding work, getting paid, and supporting themselves. Utilizing the specific mobile technology that eHomemakers describes in their entry, women will receive work orders from a coordinator and final payments for their work through their mobile phones. The entry also outlines the positive impacts and potential challenges of the project and I strongly encourage you to check it out and leave a comment. And, while you're on the site, take a moment to read a few of the 267 other great ideas sourced from all over the world about improving women's lives through technology. But back to eHomemakers. I really enjoyed watching the videos they included in...