Several entrepreneurs tell Nadia Badarudin about running a social programme for underprivileged youth
MIMI (not her real name) is carefully adding a finishing touch to the bracelet she is working on when I arrive at Rumah Safiyyah in Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor.
After attaching the lobster claw clasp to the string of colourful beads, the 15-year-old looks satisfied and smiles happily as she examines the finished accessory.
“I enjoy this class and I love making bracelets. I wish I can make more and sell them online,” she says.
Mimi is among 76 children aged 5-15 who are staying at the shelter for asnaf al-riqab (asnaf means a zakat recipient who has neither material possessions nor means of livelihood, while riqab means one who is freeing himself from slavery. This asnaf category usually refers to those who need help to pursue their education).
The bracelet-making class is part of the youth empowerment programme organised and funded by a group of young fashion entrepreneurs of homegrown label Good Hijab.
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Entrepreneur Radziah Mohd Radzi, 39, is passionate about social giving. In 2014, while on an educational tour of the US under a programme called International Visitor Leadership Programme organised by the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, she was inspired by a participant from Thailand who was operating a social enterprise in the tourism sector.
Determined to start her own social enterprise with education as the main focus, Radziah teamed up with entrepreneurs Ratna Adnan and Norashikin Mohd Yussof.
They pitched their startup idea to the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) and got accepted to the first Social Enterprise Accelerator Programme by MaGIC where they spent four months building a social enterprise called Hijab For Good (rebranded to Good Hijab in Sept 2016).
While researching social issues they could work on, Radziah and her team saw the need to provide support for underprivileged youth at shelter homes or orphanages.
“We are always wondering what will happen to Mimi when it is time for her to leave the home when she turns 18,” says Radziah, a former engineer.
“Many of the children lack skills and this makes it difficult for them to survive after leaving the homes. Without a proper support system, they may end up jobless and homeless because they don’t have skills to earn an income. This is the focus of Good Hijab. We started the business in 2015 mainly to provide support for these underprivileged youth.”
MISSION MEETS FASHION
To turn their social mission into reality, Radziah and her team are leveraging on the booming Muslimah fashion industry.
Within several months of running their social enterprise, the team managed to connect a handful of local entrepreneurs of Muslimah fashion and lifestyle brands with consumers — both with a shared mission to help the youth — on its e-commerce platform.
“We offer consumers an online venue where they can shop for products from vendors who care to support the youth,” says Radziah.
She says Good Hijab offers three main options to consumers who want to help.
First, consumers can shop for tudung and other Muslimah attire curated from local entrepreneurs. The available brands include Duchesscarf, Fathiyah’s Dreams, Hadeeya, Hybrid Fashion, Hijab Fantasia, Liyana Kay, Madeenda, Sayaanna and Rihayaniz.
The second option is Flash Sale, where consumers bid for tudung from brands which want to let go their off-season pieces, while the third option is called Good Box which is available on a three-month subscription basis.
Good Box contains up to six quality merchandise ranging from tudung to beauty products, cookies and crafts that are specially endorsed by Good Hijab as Good Maker products.
“Good Maker products are halal, eco-friendly, healthy and made by people or companies which have a social mission to help the underprivileged. We also include quality products made by single mothers or children with special needs,” says Radziah.
The contents are changed every three months so subscribers will get new items on a regular basis.
Ratna, founder of hijab label Madeenda, says Good Hijab also offers services related to CSR-management for like-minded companies, particularly fashion industry influencers.
“The fashion industry is full of energy. If we can also channel the energy to contribute or do something towards the betterment of the society, why not? Why not change our mindset and think about how we can change society while enjoying some shopping?” says Ratna.
PROVIDING SKILLS
Proceeds from Good Hijab’s business are used to fund social activities to empower underprivileged youth with skills.
Besides bracelet-making, Radziah and her team organise sewing, baking, barista and entrepreneurial classes for the children. There are more skills-training and classes in the pipeline.
“Apart from giving them exposure and basic skills, our next step is to guide and educate them, to make them realise that such skills can be turned into a career. We will try to connect them with the relevant colleges or institutions,” says Radziah.
“Some of these youngsters are very talented, but they don’t realise it or perhaps are not motivated to pursue anything because of their environment. We try our best to get them focused in charting their career paths.”
Ratna adds: “Our ultimate aim is to help these youth, especially after leaving the homes.”
EMPOWERMENT
Ratna says their biggest challenge is to convince people on the nature or ecosystem of their social enterprise.
“Unlike an NGO which is driven by donation, a social enterprise like ours needs a viable business model to sustain. We come across people who ask us what we actually do — whether we are a business entity or a charity body,” she says.
“This is our bread and butter, but at the same time, we contribute and try to make an impact in improving the society.”
Radziah says: “What matters to us is making a social impact by engaging the public in things as simple as shopping. For us, helping the underprivileged shouldn’t be a seasonal thing or confined to donations only. It shouldn’t end at giving aid. It’s about giving them continuous empowerment with the relevant skills for survival.”